Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

It's always interesting reading the blurb that independent artists send with their releases. Obviously, there is a certain amount of selling involved in terms of communicating the virtues of what you have created and there's nothing wrong with that. Unless the reality gap between the aim and the product is huge. In the case of Welshman Michael Jones who goes under the name Pulse, his press release suggests he is aiming this material at the top 40 market. He suggests that a thousand copies of this album have already been sold in the last six months and that it has garnered "excellent reviews from the music industry." In the light of what I am listening to, I think a little exaggeration is taking place. Whilst the backing tracks have some merit in terms of their production under obvious budgetary restrictions and the songs themselves are generally well written, there is one serious problem: the vocals. I cannot fault Pulse's desire to make an impact on the top 40 for Jesus but I wouldn't be doing my duty as a reviewer if I didn't flag up the fact that until the standard of vocals is dramatically improved, his singing just doesn't cut it. I really feel his talents will be best served by concentrating on song writing rather than performing.

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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