Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

For those of you who don't know the gentleman, Miles Cain is a singer, songwriter and guitarist based in York and he counts Bruce Cockburn and Martyn Joseph amongst his inspirations. On listening to this album, his fourth, it's easy to see the similarities, because it's full of the same sort of gritty realities, a mix of sadness and joy, that both Bruce and Martyn sing about, rather than the safe, happy, warm fuzzy feelings that you'd get in countless other albums, both sacred and secular. Although Miles is a believer (he got saved at a Billy Graham rally), this isn't Christian music in the normal sense of the phrase - in fact, Miles has gone on record as saying that he doesn't listen to much Christian music at all. Nevertheless, there's a distinct Christian perspective to all this angst and whilst Miles' vocal style has plenty of rough edges, his insightful songwriting demands the listener pause and reflect. An acquired taste, undoubtedly, but if you want thinking person's music, this will repay your investigation.

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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