Over the years of his ministry, Russ Lee has been blessed to be a part of two well-known and much beloved groups, Truth and Newsong. Lee has been lucky enough to find success, not only with two different groups, but also with his solo career. This means that when time came for a "best of" record, he had songs he could draw from in all three periods of his ministry. One of the unique aspects of this CD is that it not only features songs from his solo career, "I Smile," "Pictures on Mantles" (from his Christmas project), and "Live What I Believe," but also songs from his work with Truth and Newsong. To make the project even more interesting, he has offered new versions of two of his hits with Newsong, "Can't Keep a Good Man Down" and "Living Life Upside Down." To top it all off, the album features two new tracks.
The highlight of this project is easily the new version of "Can't Keep a Good Man Down." Instead of sticking to the poppy Newsong version, Lee offers a grittier, more earthy version that fans will enjoy.
Some might object to the fact that Lee is releasing a compilation CD after only three solo albums (two studio albums and last year's Christmas CD). Others might quibble over song selection, such as wondering why the Newsong hit "Arise My Love" isn't included. Overall, though, fans should be pleasantly surprised at all that this album offers. This is easily one of the more creative "best of" albums released in a while, thanks to the new arrangements and new songs that are offered.
3.5 tocks
