Reviewed by Paul S Ganney

This five-song EP sets its store out from the off: acoustic guitar-driven US West Coast-style rock. The Almost are based around Aaron Gillespie, Underoath's drummer. That said, it's not a drummer's solo album but more in the singer/songwriter mode, with the backing (rocky as it is) mostly held back in the mix. I wasn't too sure about the cover of the Christmas perennial "Little Drummer Boy", which probably depends on whether or not you like the original song, and isn't as good as the version Jars Of Clay cut years ago. A far better re-working is "Amazing Because It Is", which uses a large part of the hymn "Amazing Grace" as its lyrical base. Overall it's a pleasant enough EP, but is clearly a stop gap release after the unexpected big sales success of The Almost's 'Southern Weather' album debut.

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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