Reviewed by Wayne Gough

Baliva was born in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1983 moving to the UK in 2003 but he now very much has his roots in the London street evangelism scene being part of the Light Of London outreach team. His love of evangelism is evident on this, the follow up to '07s 'The Resurrection' album. Baliva has steadily been adding to his fan base with no compromise lyrics spun out over a collection of beats that somehow manage to have both a gritty urban feel yet also an uplifting, cheerful almost playful quality. Don't get me wrong, Baliva spends a lot of time on the streets and 'Sunrise' certainly has an authentic streetwise vibrancy to it, none more evident on the track "Lost" which asks the listener to focus on the question why and ultimately the bigger picture and even managing to name check the film Shawshank Redemption. From the anthemic "Wake Up" to the silky smooth beats of "Closer" this is a strong and assured album. 'Sunrise' is both a thoughtful and thought provoking tour de force which in the whole leaves an uplifting and positive vibe and message.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.