Reviewed by Doug Holland

Originating from Detroit, Michigan, the Mark White Band are a new-on-the-block, four-guy worship outfit beginning to make a name for themselves. They compose and perform gutsy but still melodic guitar-based worship songs (think Chris Tomlin meets Starfield meets Delirious?) and this, their latest release, provides 11 original tracks (50 minutes) of such a diet. Vocalist/guitarist White is the band's primary songwriter and he comes up with material that is hooky yet retains a strong Psalm-like feel. The album overall has contrasts of tempo, theme and volume without ever straying far from what is clearly the band's core sound and without the energy levels ever dropping significantly. The final track "Double Doors" is probably the biggest demonstration as to the considerable musical abilities of the band, with a stripped down sound, deep lyrics and White's rich voice powering through an excellent soulful rendition. The band's stated intention is to be "lights in this broken and dark world - pointing people to the truth and majesty of Christ" and recordings such as this will for sure enhance their reputation and expand their audience.

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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