Reviewed by Stuart Blackburn

Soft rock worship lovers will enjoy ‘The Journey’ but there are some hazards. A number of these songs are based on familiar Bible passages and not enough is done to avoid clichés. As for “There is only one God, there is only one king…” surely this is inexcusable. Stuart plays all the instruments except Rhodes and Hammond and it is his guitar work that provides the listener with most interest. I assume that his U2 parodies (especially on tracks six and seven) are deliberate. The title track and “Sing To Our God” are particularly catchy and have potential for congregational worship. However, I don’t understand the persistent reverb on the lead vocals. Perhaps Stuart deliberately wants to sound like his head is stuck in a bucket somewhere in the ’80s. What is doubly incomprehensible is the presence of the indulgent narration that precedes most tracks. Written by Sue Rinaldi and read by Alvin Stardust it does not occupy its own tracks and therefore cannot be programmed out when listening. It might work live (maybe) but here it ruins the experience. Its presence does not turn this halfway decent worship into a “soundtrack to life” as the sleevenotes claim. Instead it nearly ruins it.

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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