Reviewed by James Howard-Smith

On the 'Broken' disc there's a sketch of Ulster-born, London-based Patton with a guitar on his knee, looking rather like Woody Guthrie perched on a boxcar step. The sound is folk from the fast but light strums that open the album; the lyrics on that first track might feel as if they belong to the contemporary worship movement, but really we shouldn't consider anything folkier than praising God. On the second song, 'I'm Looking For The One', Patton is more clearly the confessing troubadour, aided by a twinkling mandolin with some smooth backing vocals, and a quest quality in the lyrics. The same feel is also very much there on "Won't You Stay" (arranged by Jonny's second guitarist and mandolin man Tom Appel), which asks the fascinating question "Will you run away, because you are afraid that you are too old or too young?" Patton is able to cut through the fissures and right into our nervous system both with his words and the especially fragile delivery of his vocals. He does it again two songs later with his most ambitious track, singing from the perspective of the crucified Christ, supported by distorted guitar and bass drumming. It doesn't quite have the excellence it aims for, but it is the sort of thing Patton will do better on future albums if he continues to push for new sounds. I'm undecided about his voice; there is something distinctive there, and that's important if he's going to have any role in reviving British folk. He's mentioned as an influence Andy Flannagan; his own voice is perhaps less pitch perfect but potentially more distinctive than Flannagan's. This is, overall, a mix of congregational and personal worship, and while the congregational worship songs on the album are competent and would work well in many churches, it's the more personal side of Patton's work which works best.

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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