Reviewed by Tony Cummings

This hardback is stylishly designed - too stylish some might feel, for once all the white spaces and lyrics are taken into account one realises this 224 page volume could have been printed in a fairly slim paperback. There is some fascinating stuff here, how Jesus Movement Californians found Graham's sanctified folk music "too subtle, too obtuse." How he became inspired to write praise songs. How the singer/songwriter's first clumsy attempts at street praise led to the international March For Jesus, and a lot about the inspiration behind a number of Graham's praise song classics. But there are plenty of gaps too. Too little about the early British Youth For Christ years, nothing about how he has coped spiritually with becoming financially wealthy through his huge royalty cheques. And worst of all, no sense that the reader is meeting with the real Graham Kendrick. This will have to do for now though I suspect a better book will be needed to chronicle Britain's most successful 20th century Christian songwriter.