Review: Heritage Collection Volume Four - Piano Arrangements by Lorie Line

I have always been a fan of Lorie Line's piano arrangements. I love her hymn arrangements because they are emotional, and they seem to match my playing style so well. I always receive many compliments when I play Lorie Line's music in church. So when I heard Lorie Line was releasing her music book called "Heritage Collection Volume Four" I quickly ordered it.

Lorie Line started her career performing on the piano at Dayton's in Minneapolis. Lorie soon developed a loyal fan base of shoppers who would go to Daytons just to hear her perform. Fans encouraged Lorie to make a recording of her music, which is how Lorie Line Music, Inc. began.

Lorie has published four volumes of traditional hymns for piano in her Heritage Collections. Her latest release is "The Heritage Collection Volume Four. Traditional Hymns of Inspiration."

I was excited when I read the list of titles for her new book. Lorie included many of my all-time favorite hymns including:

Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
Abide With Me
The Old Rugged Cross
Near The Cross
Beneath The Cross of Jesus
There Is A Fountain/My Jesus I Love Thee
Safe In The Arms
Amazing Grace
I Love To Tell The Story/Tell Me The Story Of Jesus
Face To Face
Just A Closer Walk With Thee
Near To The Heart of God
My Faith Looks Up To Thee
Softly And Tenderly

I like how Lorie Line labels her songs with dots to indicate the level of difficulty for each song. In Volume Four, two of the songs are marked for beginners, nine are for intermediate players and three are for advanced players.

Although I hate to admit it, I was a bit disappointed with the arrangements in her newest book. Lorie states in the beginning of the book that she, "sat at the piano for seven days and created these arrangements on the spot." And that's exactly what these arrangements sound like, an on-the-spot arrangement of traditional hymns. The arrangements lack the emotional depth that so many of her other hymn arrangements have. Even the interludes, which are so creative in her other books, seem to lack originality in this book.