Reviewed by Ian Homer

The latest to carry the mantle of The Tribe - Brightline are a four-piece dance crew formed by graduates of the Message Trust in Manchester. This, their debut studio EP, is clearly aimed at the school-age audience they largely work with but will appeal to those of us a little older who are still into dance. Things kick off with the uptempo floor-filler "Footprints". The synth-driven track invokes the listener to look above and beyond the narrow confines of their own personal world to see the much bigger vision God has. The jangly echo guitar sounds overlaying the synth adds a welcome textural touch and things get really interesting when Daniel switches into a beatbox break during the middle 8. The second track "I Saw You" is a story-led ballad, still in the dance genre but breaks things down to deal with the rather difficult situation of losing a loved one in your teen years. It does so remarkably well without becoming morose and instead provides a hopeful and uplifting message : that God the Father understands us better than our peers and grief is a process and will come to pass. Musically there are some good touches too with the stereo pan of the drums in the mix particularly effective. Track three is something of a power dance ballad (if such a thing exists) and "Turn Your Voice UP" conveys an important anti-bullying message. The EP is rounded off with a more ambient mix of "I Saw You". Overall it's a commendable first offering though since the release of 'Above The Noise' the Norwegian female vocalist Katrine has been replaced by Lucy. So Brightline's growing pack of supporters are presumably waiting to hear what their next recording will sound like.

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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