Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Avoiding the lazy rock critic's device of, when reviewing new bands simply name checking a couple of big name bands they stylistically vaguely resemble (nah, let's do it: Bloom sound like a cross between U2 and the Arctic Monkeys), let me say I really like this album. Another of the growing number of bands of British Christians pitching for a place in the crowded rock mainstream, this Chelmsford-based four-piece have some excellent songs (the anthemic "Lost In Space" and the densely layered "Thanks" have already been chosen for Cross Rhythms radio play), a husky-voiced lead singer whose tones can convey world weary pathos through to head-to-the-sky joy, and an album full of crisp, tight production. My current favourite is the slowish "Shoulder To Cry On" which I first heard when it was out as a download single, though the chugging "Doctor" with its clever lyric berating a medic for not having cures to the world's ills is a killer too. Here's hoping Bloom go on to the Big Time. They deserve to.

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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