Enter into His Gates
Artist: Helen Shapiro
Label: ICC (UK)
 
Helen Shapiro is a name that some may remember from the 1960s, but this album is a far cry from 60's pop music.  Instead, it has a very strong Israeli folk feel (probably due to Helen Shapiro being a Messianic Jew) and is packed with worship songs.  The melodies are fast, with some woodwind brought in by Mike Haughton (of Iona) and a violin by Paul Heyman.  Helen Shapiro has a rich voice, mainly at the lower end of the female range.  The production hand is a little heavy for me (I like my folk music a little more organic) but is handled well overall.
 
The tracks are made up of medleys of worship songs in a mixture of English and Hebrew, including some well-known numbers ("O Give Thanks," "And Can It Be").  The production gives this a very easy-listening feel, and while there is nothing very new, there is obviously a fair bit of talent represented on the disc. 

By James Stewart