The Urbana Conference (www.urbana.org) has a reputation as a great place for multi-ethnic worship, and after listening to this CD of songs from Urbana ’09, I can understand why. As a multi-ethnic worship leader and one who longs for the nations to worship together on earth as in heaven, all I can say is, “I wish I could have been a part of that conference!” This project is a rich compilation of diverse languages, musical styles, lead vocalists, and instruments. How many other recordings do you know of that have songs by Keith Getty, Israel Houghton, and Chris Tomlin as well as songs in Spanish, Arabic, and Kiswahili? In a world of “throw-away” songs, this album is a welcome change in that it is stocked with songs that are congregation-friendly (not performance-driven) and have something unique and worthwhile to express.

“Worship From Urbana ’09” is quite strong instrumentally. The players are extremely capable, handling great Latin horn licks, gospel grooves, believable African percussion, and even a real middle eastern flair! In many instances, the instrumentalists outshine the vocals.

The opening percussion groove and sizzling horns of the first track capture the Latino in me immediately. The Scriptural call to worship in Spanish makes it clear that this cd is not about entertainment. The listener is invited to enter in to a time of worshiping the Living God with brother and sisters from around the world. Even if Spanish is not your native language, you can easily sing along on the catchy chorus… “con con con poder…con con con poder!” and marvel at the powerful hand of our God.

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Another personal favorite of mine is the traditional Egyptian Arabic song, “Magdan Lik.” The instrumentation seems quite authentic (to my non-Egyptian ears!) and the melody is familiar. (Have a listen to the Latin song “Montaña” recorded by Salvador.) Again, the chorus is accessible and very singable. Even the word, “Alleluia” is repeated frequently, inviting believers from all over the world to praise alongside our Arabic-speaking family.

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I especially enjoyed “Hakuna Mungu Kama Wewe.” The male vocalists did a great job with the opening harmonies of this song that is popular throughout Africa. The way that this recording combines both English and Kiswahili makes it especially useful for multi-ethnic congregations. I would have liked to see other songs on the cd mix languages a bit, instead of segregating them. This song has translations (that I know of) in Sotho and Arabic Juba as well!

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Every multi-ethnic worship leader should have this cd in their repertoire. The hard work of finding singable, accessible songs in different styles and languages has been done for you! Now comes the fun of teaching these to your worship team and congregation…Enjoy!