Reviewed by Philip Crawley

Jonathan has a big voice. He holds the rich baritone end of the pitch very well and offers us 11 songs here. His background is opera and if you're a Glyndebourne or Royal Opera House buff you'll be familiar with him. The great thing is that none of these songs are operatic – we have a mix of trad hymnody ("How Great Thou Art" and "The Day Thou Gavest") and more jazz influences. At no point does his (obviously huge) talent get in the way of the songs - nothing is overcooked by a guy whose natural arena is about firing on all cylinders. Paul Field is the producer and co-writer and has roped in some great musicians - Phil Madeira on the Hammond makes track four "Wayfaring Stranger" my fav - very much a Terry Callier jazz/gospel vibe. The strings work well with the vocal arrangements - nice to hear real players, and with a Matt Redman tune thrown in ("The Father's song") you have a very inspired recording. Paul and Jonathan's song "The Promise Of His Grace" sums it up; "You are the hope beyond our humanness/This is the promise of your grace."

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