'You’d expect crossing cultures to come naturally to someone who was born into a Jewish family, raised in London, lived in New York and cut her teeth as a worship leader in South Africa!'

George Luke reviews the latest Christian music albums from Toby Mac, Newworldson, Medeline Kerzner, the Rend Collective Experiment and Cathy Burton

Use the links to buy or download the albums and Christian Aid gets a percentage of the cost - the more you buy, the more Christian Aid receives!

As a group, dc Talk were successfully able to reinvent themselves as a rock act after dabbling in poppy rap for the first few albums of their career.

With his new album Tonight, Toby Mac seems to be trying to pull off a similar trick, but just manages to leave this listener convinced that he’s more comfortable in ‘urban’ territory than in rock.

Sadly, Toby’s clearly been listening to Akon a lot (someone should tell him that’s not such a good idea).

Sadder still, he’s chosen to go all 'AutoTune' on us on a few tracks. That said, Tonight does have its moments.

‘Break Open the Sky’ (the reggae song that closes the set) is particularly sweet, and Toby’s young son Truett (aka ‘Trudog’) is showing great potential as a rapper.

• Buy Tonight by Toby Mac

Newworldson

If it’s heartfelt, gritty – and, dare I say it, AutoTune-free – rhythm and blues you’re after, Newworldson’s eponymous new album should be right up your street.

The soulful Canadian quartet are on brilliant form here, with the Toronto Mass Choir adding an extra glow to ‘There is a Way’ and a medley of Jamaican worship songs. Nice.

• Buy Newworldson's album

Madeline Kerzner

Whereas a lot of attempts at cross-cultural worship tend to sound forced, it does flow a lot more naturally when Madeleine Kerzner has a go at it.

But then when you’d expect crossing cultures to come naturally to someone who was born into a Jewish family, raised in London, lived in New York and cut her teeth as a worship leader in South Africa!

Madeleine’s second album, The Great I Am, is an enjoyable smorgasbord of sounds, featuring some soul, rock, African music and a reggae song with lyrics in Hebrew!

• Buy The Great I Am

Rend Collective Experiment

There’s been quite a buzz around Northern Ireland’s Rend Collective Experiment and their debut album ORGANic Family Hymnal.

They describe their music as “organic worship”, and it certainly sounds simple and uncluttered. David Crowder makes a guest appearance on the song ‘Faithful’.

• Buy ORGANic Family Hymnal part 1
• Buy ORGANic Family Hymnal part 2

Cathy Burton

It’s easy to get cynical when yet another Christian artist not normally known for making worship music releases a worship album. But all cynicism gets swept aside when you hear Source of Every Hour – the new album from Cathy Burton.

• Buy Source of Every Hour

Use the links to buy or download the albums and Christian Aid gets a percentage of the cost - the more you buy, the more Christian Aid receives

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