From the time he was nine years old, they couldn’t pry the electric guitar from his hands. “Let the Praises Ring,” a jam-packed collection of the fruit of his love affair with both God and the guitar, nicely illustrates Lincoln Brewster’s sheer delight in celebrating both. At an hour, eighteen minutes, there is plenty there to satisfy the steady Brewster fan and inspire new ones. “Let the Praises Ring” also serves as a record of contemporary church worship, for these are the songs the church is singing on Sunday mornings, from the classic “Shout to the Lord” to the faithful chestnuts like his “Love the Lord,” “All I Really Want,” and the title track. He covers the standards as well (Rick Founds’ “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” and Joel Houston’s “Everyday”) but adds an electric kick that lifts them from the everyday level.
You’ll enjoy the densely humming “Everybody Praise the Lord,” the closest Integrity gets to the blues, and the undervalued “He’s All I Need.” And the guitar-rich “Majestic” just drips with exuberance. Brewster brings the rock to Brenton Brown’s “Everlasting God” and closes with an extended ambient instrumental take on the Tim Hughes classic, “Here I Am to Worship.” Again, Brewster’s pure pleasure in his axe enhances the cover greatly. Lovely and moving, it is a highlight on an album that represents well the music and ministry of one of Christian music’s central figures. “Let the Praises Ring” will satisfy both old and new fans of Christian music.
