Reviewed by Sarah Richards

With its dramatic, ethereal opening, this EP from a West Midlands Youth Pastor looks promising from the off. As the intro merges into the first track, "Bread & Stones" - based partly on Psalm 23, we are not disappointed. Both catchy and melodic, this is a perfect opener as its rock based sound helps ensure that the offering sticks with the listener hours after listening. "Sift Me Like Wheat" replicates the sound and style of "Bread & Stones", but the real highlight is the wonderful vocal interplay between Hides and his backing vocalist who, incidentally, happens to be his wife, Sarah. You could well imagine this song being used in a worship service as its structure and wording would lend itself nicely to that particular context. "Where Were You" is, perhaps, the least memorable of all the tracks musically. Saying that, its lyrics are the most powerful and moving of them all, as it asks some of the bigger questions relating to the problems of human suffering. All in all I found this to be an impressive debut.

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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