Rivers of Praise

Omtale:
Produced by Dave Bankhead (Heartbeat) at his Moonshine Studios in Malmsbury, Wiltshire, ‘Rivers of Praise’ brings together 15 tracks, eight of which are instrumentals. The choice of the songs is commendable from the haunting version of Robin Mark’s “Not By Might', played so eloquently by flautist Charles Wilson and Gary Blakeley on fiddle, to the final track, another instrumental of Graham Kendrick’s “Turn Our Hearts'. This final piece is crafted par excellence with a superb blend of harp (Rachel Bartells) and flute, bringing to mind a warm summer’s day with dandelion heads dancing on the breeze but beware - there’s a hint of rain in the distance! Iona’s Joanne Hogg sings a fabulous version of David Ruis’ “Song Of Celebration'. Again good use of acoustic instruments blended with nice percussion and Nick Ruddle’s timbrel deserves top marks! Add to this combination exceptional backing vocals and you have a track that stands head and shoulder above the rest. Top marks! It is good to hear other lead vocals by V*enna’s Lucy Britten and Sarah Lacy (Eden’s Bridge), but I was personally disappointed by Ian McMaster’s vocals as they seemed too breathy and didn’t meld well with other aforementioned vocalists. However, that said, this instils peace, restores the mind and is easy upon the ear.