Reviewed by Dave Harris

Let me tell you about Jim Vilandre. He's a multi-instrumentalist, a songwriter, a lyricist, a producer and an arranger, He sings about the joy and the pain of living, about the hope of the Christian faith, about the loss of his father, and even about baseball, And you'll find evidence of all this and more in 'A Greater Love'. It opens with the extremely catchy "Heaven Is My Home", sounding very reminiscent of Rick Springfield - anyone remember him? There are some nice acoustic moments in "A Greater Love" and "A New Life", and Jim really rocks out with "I've Got to Move On." The album also has its more mellow moments with "Memories" and "Live In Christ" - both of which feature some deft piano work. Jim Vilandre has crafted some good songs and given them a decent backing but, to this reviewer's ears at least, he simply doesn't have the voice do them justice. In fact at times he detracts from them. With a bigger budget and some session vocalists, you can imagine this album being transformed. As it stands it is an uneasy and inconsistent listen, woven with a strand of promise.

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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