Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Here’s an odd thing. I was listening to this CD having registered Essence represented some kind of praise and worship ministry/event in Northern Ireland. In between the tracks my mind began to wander. Soon I was thinking of how many great bands the Irish scene had produced over the years… like December Blue (who metamorphosed briefly as SCSI before disappearing along with the American record label, Sovereign Productions, to whom they were signed). Then suddenly from my stereo speakers came the unmistakeable, spine-tingling voice of SCSI’s Sharon McFeeters. As I believe Sharon has somehow mysteriously appropriated the voice of an angel and the worship song “Blanket”, composed by Ms McFeeters and the album’s producer/engineer Mark Houston, is an excellent one, not surprisingly this reviewer went from “worth investigating” to “must search out” mode instantly. By the time the second McFeeters vocal (the equally good “Stains”) was half way through I was completely won over. Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a one trick pony. There are some excellent vocals from Kristyn Lennox, Jonty McFall and Sarah-Anne Hughes as well here. This is a grassroots project you must search out.

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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