Reviewed by James Lewis

The first thing I noticed when I opened up the review cassette (I always look at the sleeve notes before I play anything!) was the note - a disclaimer? - that some of the songs were made using pre-production recordings of Robert McKee's vocals. He died in a swimming accident while making the album. I confess to having dreaded listening to the album - who would want to give a bad review to a band whose singer died? I was relieved to find the album actually pretty listenable pop-rock with rootsy embellishments which at times are very reminiscent of The Wonderstuff. The vocals are fairly typical of a low-budget recording but perfectly acceptable. The weak link is the lyrics which are sometimes Jesus-centred but often ungainly. The worst example, "We've both been wrong/So I'll sing a song of love and peace and things that pong", might have seemed wacky at the time of writing but ends up a little like nails down a blackboard. "Pong" belongs to that list of words which should never, ever be used in a rock'n'roll song, along with "wobbly" and "tummy"! The closing track, "Why?" is probably the best written, but apart from one or two songs, lyric buffs may find this album a wee bit off-putting. If, however, you like your songs energetic and fun and your idea of a good lyric is anything better than "Pump Up The Jam" then you'll find this an enjoyable experience.

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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