Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

This instalment in Thumper Punk Records' ongoing '3 Song Acoustic' series sees Chris Jones - former lead singer with Californian punk band Call To Glory and currently the Heroes - ditch the amps and the result is something of a mixed bag. Keen to keep all the fire and fury of his punk output intact, the opener "Amazing Grace (Outlaw)" sees Jones thrash out a rock 'n' roll version of the John Newton hymn - complete with an added section that charts the titular outlaw's regrets at not heeding his mother's advice. Whilst Jones' vocals and playing are full of grit and passion, the one dimensional production here is horrible with the drums sounding so flat it's like someone's beating out a rhythm on the kitchen table. In addition, Jones' guitar appears to have just been plugged straight into the desk with no attempt to enhance the sound and this, together with a generally muddy mix, makes the end product sound amateurish and unfinished. Elsewhere, the straightforward song of praise "Rain Down" takes the pace down a notch and uses some well-worn worship phrases to communicate the singer's love for God before this EP's best offering "Diamonds And Gold" - a song about finding worth in people despite their circumstances - ramps thing back up again in high octane fashion. Unfortunately, Jones' valiant performance on this track is hindered by the acoustic guitar and drums drifting in and out of time with each other and therefore, coupled with the issues mentioned earlier, this release perhaps doesn't represent the Heroes frontman at his best.

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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