Reviewed by Ross Dilnot

This is the first in a series of albums, reflecting themes from a book by Ray Simpson, who also suggested the group's name, Anamcaras, which means 'Soul Friends'. Two members of Anamcaras will be better known to long in the tooth listeners as Terry and Jackie Mills, once of much loved folk pop team Nuffsed. Now with Terry Braithwaite, they have formed this new group. The tracks on the album form a mixture of styles. The opening track "Come Holy Spirit" soars on eagle's wings in that Celtic, Iona style. "I Arise" opens with a haunting keyboard backing, which sets the piece perfectly in context. But from this, the next track "We Welcome You" follows a '60s folk style. The album as a whole offers further interesting variation, from the simple "You Brought Me From Darkness", to the choral "Greet The Dawn". In summary then, this album is one that has a distinctive appeal, mainly because of its mixture of musical styles interwoven with the themes of resurrection and creation.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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