Sadly, the r:age project, which was the highlight of last year's group of Spring Harvest releases, has not been repeated this year. Instead, Split Level and ICC Records' Adrian Thompson take the helm, guiding members of Booley, Blueberry, his own band, and various guests through pop arrangements of a variety of worship songs.
The vocals are the focal point throughout this recording, and they're handled well by Cathy Burton (Blueberry), Peter Wilson (Booley), Simon Goodall, Esther Alexander, and Thompson. Burton's tracks -- with their simple, yet distinctive inflections -- show why several major labels have been expressing an interest in her.
After spending most of the decade flitting between fads, the British pop scene is currently fairly diverse, and this album represents that diversity.
There's the rock of "All Around the World," with Thompson's vocals in characteristically impassioned form, and the dance of "As Sure as Gold is Precious," a reworking of Robin Mark's "Revival," but there's nothing that tends toward any extreme.
Standout tracks come in the form of "Search Me," a version of a song originally by Brown Bear Music, and which has a jazzy dance feel to it. There's also Flow guitarist Prod Pritchard's "Mighty God," on which Cathy Burton turns in a strong performance with a child-like quality to her vocals. It may interest some readers to hear that Pritchard didn't realise his song had been included on this CD until a friend played it to him.
There are a few unusual arrangements which add sparkle to this album, and the well-produced feel will almost certainly endear it to many of its young target audience. But Spring Harvest Praise Mix 1999 doesn't venture far from well-worn territory, and I, for one, would like to see a volume that attempts to push the boundaries of worship music some more.
3 tocks
