Reviewed by Mark Cribben

There is a certain irony in the choice of title for this album. Scott describes himself as an auditory enigma who doesn't stick to easily definable labels for his musical style and expression. The sleevenotes from the CD quite eloquently capture Scott's heart, his passion for creativity, the relationship with a loving and creative God that not only inspires him but also drives us to achieve our potential and not be deflected or defeated by the praise or criticism of man. Which is just as well really because musically this album will be criticised by man. It is not what could be described as mainstream in any way. The opening track "Down The Line" starts in an encouraging way with a bouncing bass line, slightly Jamiroquai-esque. And then the vocals start. Imagine a melting pot that includes Lou Reed, a grumpy Jack Nicholson and the Honey Monster and that is the voice that rips from the speakers. To people of a more musically sensitive nature it's not a great sound. To be fair to Scott there are a number of interesting musical ideas throughout the album including a pleasant instrumental "Whispers From The Undergrowth" with the understated use of the banjo and the tuneful vocals from Karen Stennett on some of the songs where she clings to the vocal line while Scott does his best to growl her off key or time. The blues riffs of "No Shoes Blues" and "Blueberry Jam And Lemonade" are the sort of songs that are made up and sung around the campfire. And then, quite out of the blue, is a gentle, sensitive and beautiful piano piece "There Will Be Praise" to close the album out.

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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