Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Julie Lord is an Essex girl now resident in Geordie land and this is her debut release. Julie's music is a bluesy, jazzy, poppy mix of styles that meld together to showcase her emotional bluesy voice that immediately makes me think of smoky jazz clubs. This is cool adult music with loads of tasty piano, guitar and sax flitting in and out of the proceedings. From a songwriting perspective, Julie's are placed in the borders between Christian and mainstream music which allows her to be a voice in both arenas. Songs that cover a variety of issues like adultery ('Forbidden Fruit'), life long love and faithfulness ('Lifetime') and ambition ('Goodtime Girl') are not your usual Christian fare. And that's what I like about this album, a wide stretch of human experience is found here and Julie is observing from a Christian perspective. Musically there's plenty of variation too as you get a little bit of rock on 'Blue Skies Grey' and the blues come to the fore on the lost love song 'Even Now'. 'One Way Ticket' is one of the most overtly Christian tunes here giving a new slant to the ticket to heaven theme and including a pile of scrumptious licks from the album's guitar maestro Richard Manley-Reeve. 'Peace Of Mind' is an excellent meditation on the trials of the day searching to discover the peace that God brings and it brings the album to a perfect close. Not easy to pigeonhole Julie Lord but if you had a live event with a relaxed atmosphere, she'd be perfect! O yeah, and anyone who calls their publishing company Cool Cappuccino Music has got to be alright!

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