I'll say it again: I’m not a huge fan of compilations, "best of" collections and songs that make you go WoW, specially priced 2-disc sets and the like. It's not that I don't appreciate a good deal or an all-you-can-listen-to buffet; I guess I just grow weary of the same songs over and over, packaged for mass consumption, and then picked up and covered on four new albums in the coming year.

That said, it is a rare and thrilling thing when something designed with market share in mind is truly a musical gift, a collection of songs that deserve to be pulled out from among an artist's complete repertoire and showcased in one shiny package. Such is the case with Hymns of Worship, a collection of hymns and worship songs hand-selected by singer-songwriter-arranger Fernando Ortega.

Throughout his career, Ortega's interpretations of classic hymns reveal his craftsmanship and reverence for their distinctive beauty and place in Church history. From "Pass Me Not" and "Children of the Living God" to "Be Thou My Vision" and "All Creatures of Our God and King," no other artist in Christian music today has done as much to reinvent and reinvigorate the classics. Hymns of Worship captures Fernando's best hymn work, as well as worshipful originals like "Creation Song," "Jesus, King of Angels" and "I Will Praise Him, Still."

If you're looking for depth in your worship music, be it contemporary or traditional, Hymns of Worship truly is as good as it gets.

—Melissa Riddle