Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Although born in Leicester, classically trained Mariette grew up and studied in South Africa where she started to make a name for herself. However she has now relocated to Bristol and after developing a love for worship music during three years at Bible school has released this 10 track album, available through her website. My first response on receiving a totally unknown release for review is to read the small print to see if there are any names I recognise. Here it is the redoubtable Neil Costello as producer who caught my eye and, as I listened to the music, my ear as well. We can have no worries as to the production values and although I do not recognise any of the backing musicians they all play very well indeed. Miss Davina has a beautiful voice and her enunciation is perfect, no doubt reflecting her operatic training. If you want a simple comparison I would say that the artist who came to my mind as I played the CD is Kate Bush although a Kate Bush held under tight control by a good producer to stop her drifting away on one of her whimsical flights of fancy. According to Mariette herself the 10 tracks on this CD reflect "a culmination of all the genres I have embraced" which may lead us to expect a muddle. Not so. Everything is well under control, kitchen sinks are not thrown around, and my only regret is that at just over 40 minutes there is not more. So if you enjoy melodic pop/praise and worship with Jesus firmly at the heart of the lyrics then this CD is well worth tracking down.

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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