Fans of Petra have been bombarded with countless compilation CDs, the bulk of which were never endorsed nor approved by the band. With "Petra: The Praise Collection," we're not given a compilation, but a repackaging of the two "Petra Praise" albums. That's not a bad thing if you don't have either of these albums in your collection (like myself). Purchased separately, these two albums are basically the same price. Purchased as a collection, you get both albums for a cheaper price. That's a good thing, and the package they come in is designed nicely to boot.
The first album, "Petra Praise-The Rock Cries Out," is one of, if not the heaviest Praise album you'll ever hear. Larnelle Harris, Twila Paris, and all the rest do wonderful jobs, but Petra knows how to properly praise God with good ol' rock n' roll. "I Love The Lord" is one of the heaviest tunes on the album and it opens things up perfectly. It is one of my favorites on this album. Other personal favorites include "Salvation Belongs To Our God," "No Weapon Formed Against Us," and "Hallowed Be Thy Name." The only misfire on this album is the saxophone-punctuated "Friends (All In The Family Of God). It completely throws this glory train off of the tracks. Other than that, however, this is the perfect praise album for any rocker.
"Petra Praise 2-We Need Jesus" is a somewhat toned-down sequel to "The Rock Cries Out." Ironically, my favorite Petra tunes are on this album even though I prefer its predecessor. Petra's take on "Lord, I Lift Your Name On High" is one of the best I've ever heard and is my personal favorite Petra tune. My second favorite from this album is the Bob Hartman penned "The Holiest Name." Other solid tunes include "Ancient Of Days" and "Let Your Voices Rise Like Incense." Overall, this isn't a bad album, it just doesn't quite rise to the crescendo that is "The Rock Cries Out."
Both of these albums are worthy of purchase. If you must by only one of them, however, I'd go with "Petra Praise-The Rock Cries Out." If you enjoy more mellow rock, then "Petra Praise 2-We Need Jesus" should be right up your alley.
This is a definite purchase if you don't own either of these albums.