Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

From the archives of the label run by Larry Norman's family comes a selection of demos recorded between 1975 and 1980 by the late and much lamented US Jesus music pioneer Mark Heard. Whilst the sound quality and delivery are understandably raw, Heard's skill as a songwriter shines through and, coupled with his gentle vocal delivery, this is an endearing collection of songs that glorify the Saviour. With only his guitar for accompaniment, mostly finger picked and occasionally double tracked, songs such as "The Sheep Trust The Shepherd", "Jesus Is My Help Nowadays" and the supreme "Jesus Loves You Just Like You Are" are newfound classics and see Heard in his natural surroundings before he went on to bigger things. A sincere and thought provoking lyricist, Heard was also able to turn his hand to more light hearted numbers in "Missionary Pie" - a tongue-in-cheek song about the perils of overseas evangelism - and the Noah's ark pastiche "Forty Day Cruise" which showcase the man's versatility as a writer. The bonus of this fascinating collection is that the majority of its material has never featured in any form on any of Heard's official albums, making this an even more remarkable release.

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