Reviewed by Adrian Cherrill

St Louis-based singer, songwriter and guitarist Russ Anderson has had the benefit of opening for such well known artists as Suzanne Vega and the late Jeff Buckley and now presents his first new album of material since 2003's 'Arsenal Street', and a worthy collection of songs it certainly is. The danger with a full acoustic album is that it may begin to sound all the same after about five or six songs, but this effort certainly has enough variety to keep this listener interested and the production is crisp and clear, especially good for an album almost entirely recorded "live" in the studio. With a huge nod in the direction of Bob Dylan and Don McLean, Russ's vocals and guitar playing, obviously honed on the live solo stage, are used to good effect with just occasional percussion or extra guitar to augment the sound (although perhaps the twittering birds on "Birds Of A Feather" are just a bit too cheesy). There's a good mix of subject material and although there are only five songs with a strong gospel content (including a version of "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know"), the whole album has a pretty constant spiritual leaning. It's difficult to pick a standout track, but the title track, "Arise", "Little Lamb" and "One" certainly vie for that honour. If you're into Dylan or McLean or just like good rootsy acoustic music then I suggest you hunt this one down and add it to your collection.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.