Reviewed by Andy Cooper

To connect with Desire N Winner's music, it would probably help to meet him and learn his story. Born and raised in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he was basically orphaned then abused until his conversion at the age of 16. Now he leads praise and worship at a church in Manchester, and has released this, his debut CD of seven songs. The majority of the tracks are personal and worshipful, as if sung directly to Jesus: "You Are My God", "I Will Give You Praise", "I'll Follow You" for example. The lyrical language is straight forward, some would say clichéd, but there is truth and honour in their simplicity. And you cannot knock the heart with which they are presented. "I cannot survive without you.like a fish out of water" is an example. The tracks, produced by Alan Lowles, consist mostly of programmed keyboard sounds. They are creative, though perhaps lacking dynamism and individuality, while some sounds such as the steel drums in the opener are glaringly unauthentic. Desire's vocal style will not be to everyone's taste either. You have to honour his journey and integrity, but the slightly nasal tone becomes a bit mundane, lacking the body, range and charisma of the best in the gospel genre.

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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