Music:

All I have needed

This is an interesting album. It is an attempt to rehabilitate a whole range of classic hymns. It isn’t that Leah Mari does anything particularly radical; what she does is take the old favourites and add her own musical twist. That particular twist is characterised by beautiful tight harmonies, sweet melodies and an alt-country twang.

It works best when she uses that poignant voice of hers to breathe fresh emotion into hymns we’ve heard many times before. She does a cracking job on ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’. ‘Nothing but the Blood’ is a great version – precise and sweet. Her version of ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness’ is especially strong.

In many ways All I Have Needed would make good mood-music during a dinner party, or early in the morning over a coffee. It isn’t that it’s bland – just comforting. This may not make Leah Mari a Christian superstar, but it will help us to appreciate our worship music heritage.

Published by: Bethel Music