Reviewed by Peter Timmis

Don't let the garish sleeve put you off, this 2009 release from the Canadian 'worship pastor' is really a rather good album. 'Light Up The Sky' is a varied record full of strong rock songs, delicate acoustic tracks and more worshipful numbers - in fact it's so varied at times it almost feels like a compilation, not a bad thing as it keeps you hooked for all of its 50 minutes. The CD's opening track "There's A Life" starts out a little like Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road" but soon settles into a solid pop rocker with a chugging riff guaranteed to get you nodding along. Jon is obviously a gifted guitarist as demonstrated by the scorching wah wah solo on "Power In A Song" which also features a supremely catchy chorus, "There is power in a song/Especially when you sing along/The Heavens open up and Hell is shut below/Your voice makes more of a difference than you know". The only track that doesn't quite work is "Have Mercy" which features fine funky guitars but is spoilt by some tepid rapping from Fresh I E. This aside, fans of rock worship will find a lot to like here.