Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

At the age of 21, Debby Boone had scored one of the biggest selling singles in the history of pop music "You Light Up My Life". By the mid '80s when this was recorded for the CCM market Debby had been performing with her sisters and dad, superstar Pat Boone and as a solo artist for over 20 years. For 'Choose Life' she enlisted the services of one of the hottest producers of the day, Michael Omartian who had already worked on Grammy winning pop singles and produced acts like Christopher Cross, Donna Summer and Rod Stewart. For Debby, Mr Omartian penned a set of songs with his wife Stormie and the album is a perfect summation of mid '80s CCM without tipping over into the Absolute Classic territory. Perhaps unsurprisingly, songs like "The Time Is Now" and "Teach Me How To Love" sound like material the Omartians had been planning on recording for a follow up to their 1982 album 'Mainstream'. There are lovely ballads like "When I Accepted You" and "The Heart Of The Matter" while the synth-driven pop "Pressure Points" and the upbeat "Delight In You" still retain their period charm. But towering over the whole musical proceedings is side two's opening cut, the brooding, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink production of the title track. It's a magnificent piece of '80s CCM.

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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