Reviewed by Brendan O'Regan

It may be invidious to make comparisons, but as I listened to this album by the Henley-on-Thames-based singer/songwriter I was frequently reminded of the music of America's late great Mark Heard. Jamie Mac sounds like him, and the instrumental style matches as well. Jamie's lyrics might not match Heard's for depth and complexity, but the Brit has still produced a fine album of well-crafted songs. There are gospel themes but the approach is certainly not heavy-handed or overly preachy. For this project Mac has teamed up with Polish colleague Gerard Niemczyk, who provides some excellent guitar and percussion. Though it's a first solo album for Mac, there's nothing tentative about it. Mac and the band come across as supremely confident in what they are doing - very much at home in their own skin. We could have done with a lyric sheet, but at least the sleeve notes thank "the One who makes the river run", which leads into the opening track "River". I wasn't impressed with the special effects opening bars but almost immediately it improved and I was won over. Best track for me was "See You Again", a catchy song where Mac is joined on vocals, to very good effect, by Ola Gwozdz - this has definite potential as a pop hit. On the more spiritual side "You're Still Here" impresses as a pop/rock version of Psalm 139:13. All in all an auspicious début.

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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