Evangelicals Now
<< June 2001 >>

What Grace

Beating Time

WHAT GRACE
Graham Kendrick
Make Way Music.
Cassette £9.99. CD £14.99.
www.grahamkendrick.co.uk

Over the years Graham Kendrick has certainly produced some worship classics which are enjoyed across the denominations and have even made their way into the conservative repertoire of school assemblies, so listening to this, his latest collection of worship music, provides us with the fun of guessing which songs will make their way into the hymn-singing hall of fame.

At first, it does not seem obvious: the trendy production on the album, reminiscent of Delirious's recent 'Glo', makes it hard to imagine how they might sound on a single piano or guitar, or with less-talented musicians in the churches across the land. However, looking beyond this, songs such as 'Blessed are the humble' and 'To the King eternal' demonstrate the potential of Kendrick's gift for writing melodies. The influence of modern worship big boys like Martin Smith and Matt Redman (who both guest on the album) is apparent, certainly it shows on the tracks on which they appear: 'To You O Lord' and 'Lord, You've been good to me'. The current trend for setting old hymn words to Celtic tunes is also present here: his version of 'Rock of Ages' captures beautifully the intimacy of the lyrics.

The main strength of 'What Grace' is the words. Kendrick brings in a mix of deeply personal songs, and glorious songs of praise to this 12-track album, which capture the sense of awe inspired by coming before the Lord in worship.
Although perhaps those looking for another 'Shine Jesus shine' will be a little disappointed, 'What Grace' is definitely worth a listen, and probably a sing-through also. The CD version works as an interactive CD-ROM with samples of sheet music, acetates and a video interview with the man himself.

J.G. Carruthers