Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

The first thing that struck me about this album is that in places Mark Edson reminds me of Don Francisco. I think it's the voice! Rootsy music that joins country and rock together into a style that could only come out of America. To be honest, this album could easily have been made in 1975 and while the musicianship and songwriting and vocal performances are all just fine and dandy, there's still something missing in this earnest selection of songs. Sometimes this reminds me of something else (like on the Francisco soundalike songs) and "Gotta Take A Stand" which had me humming the old '60s classic "Games People Play". The flamenco feel of "I Have The Love" injects a different vibe and the rockier "He Calmed The Sea" again adds a different flavour but somehow the set of 12 songs never catches fire. While this is well intentioned, it never rears its head above grey waters of just being OK.

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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