Reviewed by Dave Brassington

One of the delights of being a music reviewer is to come across an album that totally blows you away. I have been listening to the Guy Penrod for a number of years and his numerous recordings with the Gaither Vocal Band and as a solo artist have always impressed me with their versatility. But this country music debut takes Penrod's vocal talent to a new level. This fantastic album has 13 original songs (no re-hashes of over-recorded country hits!) and has a superb production by Brent Rowan who has enlisted such fine Nashville musicians as Paul Franklin (steel guitar), Brian Sutton (acoustic guitar) and Aubrey Haynie (fiddle). Guy's vocals are powerful and passionate and such songs as the title track, "Every Saint", "More Power To Ya" and my personal favourite "The Maker Of Them All" could just as easily have appeared on albums by mainstream country hitmakers known for their strong Christian faith like Tim McGraw or Josh Turner. My only fear for this album is that it will just get marketed as southern gospel. I sincerely hope that it is widely pushed amongst mainstream country radio stations as 'Breathe Deep' features great vocals, great accompaniments and great songwriting. It gets my vote as the best new recording I have heard this year!

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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