Reviewed by Phil Thomson

Big God, big sound, big heart. I was sure I was in for a nineties Phil Spector rip-off, climatic walls of voice and absolutely no depth. I was wrong. The Imperials stand head-and-shoulders above almost any other American Christian import you are likely to encounter. The choice of songs, the gutsy production, soaring quasi-black vocal leads against disciplined harmony, insistent percussion and a real sense of purpose - just enough drama to imbue the set with urgency, you have to rise above the American penchant for oh-so-sincere build-up on one or two tracks, treatments which, in any other context might slip into parody. To their credit, they have been economic with the strings. There's significance in the label - Star Song Communications - where so many other USA acts dish up elevator music, this quartet really do communicate. I simply wish there were the budgets and the air time to see our own impoverished Christian music industry try for these heights; perhaps one day. Meanwhile, if you are looking for music with authority and stature, look no further.