Life is Precious: A Wes King Tribute is a remarkable project on every level. This is a fully loaded, double CD of fabulous music, recorded with love and compassion for a fellow Christian music artist in trouble.

Enter twenty-six faithful, generous and benevolent Christian music artists, along with a host of other musical experts, all willing to donate their time and considerable talents to help Wes, his wife, and their three children. This amazing group created two CDs full of Wes King songs – each recreated and recorded with their own style and interpretation. What is the best part of this story? All of the proceeds from the sale of this project go directly to the King family.

These songs are not tired old remakes - this music is fresh, exciting and full of passion, recorded by a wide spectrum of artists, both established and indie. Do not make the mistake of discounting even a single track because it is recorded by a name you do not recognize; the quality of the music is excellent! This is a fabulous way to introduce yourself to the up-and-coming in the Christian music scene, and you just may find yourself a few new favorites to watch – I know I did!

Besides hearing a lot of fresh, new talent, listening to this CD project is a wonderful way to appreciate the music Wes King has written. I am amazed at the wide range of subjects, from songs about faith, songs about the Lord, to songs written about people and their daily struggles in life.

The CD opens with Downhere, a group recently lifted into the limelight with their hit, "A Better Way," which is enjoying huge airtime on Christian radio stations like K-LOVE. Their song for the Wes King Tribute, "Excavate," is a true standout and one of my favorites from this collection.

The next two tracks were just as wonderful as the first. The Kry does an excellent version of "Hold On," which will surely be a favorite, and Charizma's "Common Creed" sounded so much like Wes King, I was surprised to learn they were actually a Swedish band known mainly in Europe. Both of these songs made me want to look up the bands and possibly buy other music they had done. After listening to first three tracks, all three excellent, I became very excited to hear the rest of this project.

Paul Colman, who has been creating amazing Christian music for years and is now the highly celebrated guitarist for the newsboys, has two songs on this project – and both are fantastic! "What Matter's the Most" is a unique, percussion-driven remake with powerful drums and dramatic spoken words behind Paul's powerful vocals. Also included is a totally rocked-out version of "Holy Ghost." At just over seven minutes in length, it is a marathon song of screaming guitars and a feast of passionate, hypnotic, almost head-banging rock.

Speaking of rock, Goodbye Audio, an indie band, does a fantastic, bass and rock-guitar driven rendition of "Since I Was a Kid." They have a young, rebel-rock sound enhanced by high quality vocals. Rock lovers may want to check into this band.

One of my favorites on this project is another rock band, The Silent. Winners of a 2006 Covenant Award, they open the second CD with "Motivation." This band has a young rock sound similar to The Afters or Savage Garden. This song is full of funky, techno sounds and became a favorite of mine the first time through the CD.

Phil Keaggy, Christian music great and suggested to be the best guitarist in the world, does a fabulous version of "Getting Used to the Darkness." This is a "Hotel California" sounding song with the kind of quality guitar you would expect from Phil. Another popular artist, Derek Webb, contributes a thoughtful interpretation of "I Believe," one of Wes King's biggest hits. Adding yet another well-known name, Scott Krippayne does a simple but excellent piano-bar blues version of "Lazarus."

Luminous, an exciting band that has toured extensively in Australia and New Zealand, does a deep and powerful interpretation of "The Robe" which I absolutely loved. This is another band that I hope will benefit from the exposure this project may provide.

CCM magazine recently did a cover story (Aug 2006) on the need to infuse the Christian music industry with women. This project may be the answer to that desire as nearly half of the artists are women! From the distinct, mature, and well-known voice of Kim Hill, to established artist Cheryl Keaggy and nine indie women, these two CDs are full of exciting, quality female artists. It would be wonderful if this project led to the breakout of some of these new talents.

An indie standout for the women is Caitlin Evanson, who recorded a gripping and passionate version of "Silently Going Under." She has a beautiful voice and a very compelling sound. I hope to hear more from her in the near future.

This is only half of what this amazing project has to offer. There are thirteen more artists, all with wonderful interpretations of Wes's songs. Truly, the only way to appreciate the plethora of talent on this project is to buy it, then sit back and enjoy two CDs full of excellent music!

I cannot help but have tremendous respect for all the wonderful people involved with this project, imagining the time and dedication needed to pull together a two CD collection of twenty-seven original recordings from twenty-six different artists. Truly, this is a labor of love, of Christian faith, and a great tribute to a great man. Do not hesitate to purchase this project – it is one of the few things of this world that is all good and has absolutely no drawbacks. Life is Precious: A Wes King Tribute will be a welcome addition to any Christian music collection.

www.WesKing.com