Reviewed by Brendan O'Regan

A collection of songs from the International House Of Prayer stable, all dealing with the afterlife, Heaven and related themes. Occasionally you'll find a good song about this on an album here and there, but the songs brought together here make far more impact and certainly focus the attention on one's final destination. I was particularly impressed by "Hallelujah" from Cory Asbury with its striking harmonies reminiscent of Mark Heard's acoustic albums while Julie Meyer's "Longing For The Day" is an ethereal ballad that builds to an anthem-like climax. Tim Reimherr's "I Will See Your Glory" features one of the appealing melodies on the album and exudes optimism. Two of the tracks are live recordings, but sound quality is excellent - I especially loved the beautiful piano solo on "New Jerusalem", and the sentiments are fine too - "I'm longing for the day when we will never be apart." Most of the tracks here are sung by solo performers but the Merchant Band excels on the opening track. The title of the collection might suggest an unfortunate ambiguity, but roll on Vol 2.

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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