Love Divine: The Songs Of Charles Wesley For Today's Generation

The idea behind this album is a simple one: take some of Charles Wesley's beautiful hymn words and set them to new music, then introduce them to a generation of believers who do not relate to the musical style of hymns.

It is an interesting project which, in my opinion, works in some instances but not in others.

As this is a download album & the tracks are available individually, I will attempt a brief track by track review.

1. I know that my Redeemer lives. This track utilises only 4 of the original 9 verses, and adds a chorus. Tim Hughes sounds a little uncomfortable in the verses, & seems to enjoy the chorus much more! Overall it's a reasonably successful amalgamation of ancient & modern, & I can imagine many congregations singing this enthusiastically.

2. Rejoice the Lord is King. A fairly bland soft rock style setting, not particularly interesting but singable. More upbeat than the previous track & I think would appeal more to younger churches.

3. And can it be? This is one of my personal favourites from this album: it's a fairly simple arrangement, and Mac Powell sings it easily and with feeling. The style is soft rock / folk.

4. Jesus we look to thee. This is a hymn I was not previously familiar with. Kim Walker-Smith (of Jesus Culture) sings with real humility and passion: I just wish the arrangement had featured less percussion as it ends with a driving drumbeat which I feel doesn't suit the song at all.

5. Jesus lover of my soul. The composer & arranger himself, Chris Eaton, sings this song. Another percussion-driven arrangement which I feel overwhelms the rather lovely melody. This is more a performance track than for congregational use.

6. Come thou long expected Jesus. In my opinion the worst track on the album. The music & vocals are uninspiring, & it is not helped by the addition of a chorus (rejoice rejoice Emmanuel) which references another great Advent hymn but here makes little sense.

7. Praise the Lord who reigns above. Another 'edited' version: 2 of the original verses are omitted & a chorus is added. In this case however it works well. This track will appeal to those who enjoy country music.

8. Jesus the Name high over all. Another track which could benefit from a different arrangement: a fairly heavy rock style intro gives way to a gentle vocal, & these two styles alternate throughout the song.

9. O for a thousand tongues. This was originally a very long hymn: the version sung here sensibly uses only 8 of the 19 verses that I know of. Chris McClarney initially sounds a little uncomfortable, but relaxes into the song as it progresses. Once again I could have done without the pounding drums because the melody and vocals were somewhat drowned out. Personally I would also like to edit out the last 10-15 seconds of this track which are just noise!

10. Love divine. This is a lovely tune which for me is spoiled by Jenn Johnson's phrasing: in my opinion a good singer would not take a deep breath in the middle of words like 'unbounded', 'spotless', and 'wonder'!

11. Christ the Lord is risen today. Another personal favourite: I think Chris Eaton has done a very good job with this hymn. He has used a little over half the original verses, moved a few of the Alleluias so they don't occur at the end of every line, and added a few extra as a chorus. Aaron Keyes sings it beautifully, & holds his own against the (yet again) intrusive percussion. Very singable.

12. Christ whose glory fills the skies. This track begins with what I can only describe as a 'tiddly' synth intro, but happily this disappears as the vocals begin (sadly it reappears between verses). The rather jolly music seems somewhat at odds with the more sombre words. I keep trying to work out whether this is a new melody or an old hymn tune!

13. Oh for a heart to praise my God. A simple arrangement: the percussion is still present but not so overwhelming, & I can imagine this being sung by a congregation.

I hope the above comments are helpful: please note that they are of course my own personal opinions and I fully expect a lot of people to disagree with them!

This is a brilliant album, and I'm so thankful for these musicians doing the hard work of making these hymns more accessible.
I like every one of the songs, and we have already used a couple in Sunday morning service. I have brought all the music and it's all very simple to play. Although the album has the artists personal styles in the songs, they are all very simple and a joy to play. Our congregation has welcomed the new versions, and many newer Christians have commented at how much better they are for them than the old classics.
Bottom line - song lyrics last through cultures and generations, music doesn't - this album does a great job at making them accessible for 21st century Christians.

Also - I agree with the other review that it's a shame not all the verses are used - but you could obviously add them in when you are using them yourself.