Reviewed by Dave Brassington

I suppose that in every successful music group there are bound to be members dreaming of releasing their own solo album. In the case of this member of Southern gospel stars Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, the achievability has been considerably helped by having a boss who recently started his own record label. Thankfully this fine young singer has avoided the trap of reprising old familiar material, instead going for new songs of depth and meaning. Devin has a rich, resonating voice and there is quality songwriting here on tracks like "Hold On, Help Is On The Way", "As Long As You Walk With Me" and "When He Was On The Cross". My favourite track is "From My Rags To His Riches", co-written by Ernie Haase and producer Wayne Haun, on which bluegrass duo Dailey & Vincent add their considerable vocal talents. The only old chestnut is Sister Rosetta Tharpe's "Up Above My Head (I Hear Music In The Air), where Devin has some vocal fun with his old singing partner Russ Taff. The tasteful orchestrated arrangements complement both the quality of Devin's fine singing and the quality of the material, meaning that this is a release that oozes class.

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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