Songs From the Altar
The most consistently solid of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir recordings,Songs from the Altaris a highly polished collection built on simple praise and worship refrains. From the pen of Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir director Carol Cymbala, the singers (a select ensemble of choir members) offer "We've come to bless your name, oh Lord." Contemporary Christian music superstar Carman contributes the lyric "I feel Jesus in this place / And my soul does burn within me," and the traditional African American spiritual offers "Bless that wonderful name of Jesus / No other name I know." The Nashville String Machine, underscored by the Tabernacle band--including a Hammond B-3 organ--provides a refined yet spirited backdrop for the powerful clarity of the vocal arrangements.--Paige La Grone