RCL Praise - Awesome God

Contemporary Christian Music often retains a certain Jekyll & Hyde complex, producing some superb artists that adhere faithfully to the genres in which they belong. Christian Rock for example, claims the likes of P.O.D (Payable On Death), and Spoken & Athlete who have had success in the British charts, whilst Christian Hip-Hop is represented by The Cross Movement, T-Bone & Da' T.R.U.T.H, to name but a few.

LCL Praise, however, represents the other end of the spectrum. Produced by Ian Green, the production of their album, Awesome God, is actually very good, and the lyrical content is passionate and sincere. Nevertheless, these are both frustrated by poor musical direction.

Commencing with a cringe-worthy performance of 'So Amazing', the album is paralyzed before even acquiring any discernible momentum, continuing then to the equally lamentable, 'King of Glory'. Chord structures are largely generic "gospel" with no new interpretation or reinvigoration,

The CD starts with a cringe-worthy performance of a song called 'So Amazing' that cripples the album before it even has a chance to gain any momentum. It continues with another equally bad track called 'King of Glory'.

Tracks, such as 'Lord I love You', 'You're All I Need', and 'My Strength', are palatable, but even these barely attain the level of excusable 80s pop at best! Assuming the album's raison d'être is to propagate the virtues of the gospel, it may sadly miss the mark owing to its lack of broad appeal.

Even if RCL Praise wishes only to cater to fellow Christians, they still need to raise their game. Whilst I can feel the passion of the singers, I just wish that their music reflected the seriousness of their conviction.

By the end of album, my persistent thought was of being so disappointed to hear the splendor of the gospel conveyed in such a lacklustre manner. With the quality of the vocals, and better musical direction one can only hope for a more successful effort before too long.

RCL Praise's 'Awesome God' is out soon.

By Eddie-Lee Lawrence

I Will Tell

'Ndinadsawapanga' means 'I Will Tell; in the Senna dialect of Mozambique; a fitting name for a film festival that plans to show people can be empowered by sharing their experiences.

Founded by Jericho Films, a production company that was established in London in 2002 to create inspiring and thought-provoking films, the 'I Will Tell Film Festival' is a Christian event that is all about ideas.

Never preachy and instead intent on keeping it real, the festival will showcase some seriously powerful movies including John Singleton's controversial 'Boyz N' The Hood' and the Brazilian favela drama 'City of Men'.

Commenting on what motivated her to organise the festival, Jericho Films' Jenny Lee said, "We look at the problems in our society today and it's so easy to blame it on alcohol or drug abuse, unemployment, money, the list goes on. But the real root of the problem is often much deeper and much closer to home than we would care to admit. As human agents we part of the problem. The film festival attempts to focus our hearts and minds on how we can also be part of the solution."

The film festival will explore the issues of Unity, Identity and Empowerment and seeks to inspire and empower ordinary people to believe, hope for and do extraordinary things.

The screenings take place at churches across London from Lewisham to Mayfair. Each night will be slightly different but every night will include the screening of a short film and one of the award-winning feature-length films in the festival. With the focus on shared experience, the main feature will be followed by a talk with passionate speakers with in-depth knowledge of the issues raised in the film.

On some nights there will also be live performances as well as other events and opportunities. Rev Elson Parris, senior pastor at the Wesleyan Christian Centre said: "This film festival is a bold and innovative new venture and will be a life changing experience for many."

A portion of festival profits will go towards helping to empower those in need.

The festival will take place from 30 April - 10 May at venues across London. Adm: £5 at the door, £4 online, Group discounts and concessions available. Info: www.jerichofilms.com/festival08

By Diriye Osman