Everything in Colour - Ben Cantelon

Everything in Colour is Ben Cantelon’s best album to date.

The young Canadian first broke onto the UK scene at Soul Survivor where songs Love Came Down, Remain and Celebrate quickly became favourites.

Now based at Holy Trinity Brompton, the home of the Alpha Course and Worship Central, Ben has gone from strength to strength and established himself as one of the UK's most loved worship leaders.

Opening with a mid tempo title track can be a risky strategy, but it’s one that has paid off for Ben's second full length album. “No more black and white because I’ve seen the light / Everything I see is in colour” Ben sings. There’s plenty of interesting keyboard and guitar effects as well as some solid drumming. But Ben's flying start isn't just musically sound it's lyrically interesting too.

Second track New Day will be familiar to anyone who has heard Worship Central’s Spirit Break Out album. This new studio version has an identical arrangement to the live recording, but as the old saying goes, ‘if it aint broke don’t fix it’.

Guardian is a song you may have already heard at summer festivals. Co-written with Nick Herbert, it’s one of the most exciting and fresh songs to come out of the British church this year. The rousing chorus instills hope in the listener as Ben sings about God watching over his people. The arrangement is both unusual and interesting an acoustic guitar is quickly strummed throughout the song and a dance-like beat drives the chorus.

Saviour of the World is next. Again, the arrangement is identical to previous live recordings, but if you’ve yet to hear it, you’re in for a treat.

Be Exalted is slow and piano led. Featuring a subtle cello and acoustic guitar part, the lyrics sit comfortably at the forefront of the song. As the music builds, more voices are added to the growing anthem of “be exalted / be exalted / in my life / above all else / be lifted up”. It's best viewed as a more polished version of "Be High and Lifted Up" and also has its similarities with Hillsong's Came To My Rescue.

Lord Strong and Mighty lifts the album out of its slow section. While not as attention grabbing as New Day or Saviour of the World, the song is triumphant and jubilant throughout.

The new version of Love Came Down is a welcome addition to the release. The makeover has resulted in a stronger, faster and more confident sound. The change is far from drastic, but the new beat and tempo is spot on.

Like most albums the weaker songs are shunted toward the back of the CD. Worth it All and Love Divine don’t quite match the brilliance of earlier songs, however Ben doesn’t write bad tunes, making the album as a whole well worth the purchase.

Jason Ingram's skills in production have once again proved to be impeccable. Glancing at the credits, another noteworthy point is many of the songs have been co-written. Ex delirious guitarist Stu G and Hillsong’s Mia Fieldes are both listed.

The effort shown in everything from the music to the lyrics, through to song arrangements, final production and even down to the album cover is exceptional. Everything in Colour is a must buy album this Spring. By the time the summer festivals roll around half the church should already be singing anthems like Guardian and Be Exalited. Yes, it's that good.

Rating: 9 out of 10