Reviewed by Tim Holden

For most artists the live version of their material is approached with trepidation - have the songs survived the transition from heavily produced and arranged epics to material that can be performed live with a band? The reverse was true with Kim Walker-Smith's 'On My Side' - would it survive being a studio recording and as Tony Cummings' review (and many others) showed, it did so very well. Now eight songs from the album are available on the mini-album 'On My Side Live' - "Fresh Outpouring", "Rise", "Interlude" and "Awaken Love" are the only tracks missing. The arrangements here are generally as the studio album with a pared down strings section and with the usual slightly raw, one take edge that all live albums need. Given the vulnerable nature of the lyrics - worship during even the hardest times - this edge lends even more power to these songs, in particular the extended "I Know" which, with its Spirit-led improvisation, is the standout track of an album full of standouts. Tony's closing comment about the original album still holds - "Buy this album and play it in your car or your home every day. It will surely have a profound effect on you."

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

This track data is supplied by the Cross Rhythms CD/DVD review library. Please note that CD tracks may vary according to release region or product version.