Rend Collective - Campfire II: Simplicity (2016)

A modern praise & worship band out of Northern Ireland, the Rend Collective (formerly known as the Rend Collective Experiment) is exactly what the name says, more a spiritual and creative collective than a band per se, blending praise lyrics with a kind of experimental folk-rock approach. Growing out of a group of Christian friends looking for a way to bring spirituality more in line with the complexities and confusions of life in the 21st century, the band, at least when it tours, consists primarily of drummer Gareth Gilkeson, vocalists and singers Will Herron and Chris Llewellyn, percussionist and keyboardist Ali Gilkeson, horn player and accordionist Bridget Herron, and bassist Patrick Thompson. Recorded mostly in churches and homes, debut album Organic Family Hymnal appeared in 2010, followed by Homemade Worship by Handmade People in 2012, both released by Kingsway Music. A live set, Soul Survivor & Momentum - Kingdom Come: Live 2012, also appeared later that year from Integrity Music, which also released Campfire early in 2013. The Art of Celebration, which hit the Billboard 200 Top 15 and U.K. Top 30, arrived in 2014, along with a holiday album, Campfire Christmas, Vol. 1. Their fifth studio album, As Family We Go, was issued in the summer of 2015. ~ Steve Leggett.