Reviewed by George Luke

The Christ Tree Community were a contemplative group of Christians who lived in community together in New York, and whose musical output from the early '70s forms part of the Jesus Music canon. This album was recorded over a number of years, and is a weird mixture of sounds and instruments from across several continents, psalm readings and hymnody. I honestly didn't know what to make of this the first few times I listened to it. It alternates between inspired moments of true beauty and some stuff that sounds so self-indulgent and pretentious it would make the worst prog rock sound restrained. Given the Trees Community's monastic background, one would guess that the music on this CD was made primarily for worship within a monastic setting. I can see how that would work, but listening to it in a different context doesn't always work so well.

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