Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

This is an interesting curio for fans of '70s Christian music. Compared to a lot that was happening on the scene at the time of release, this was an adventurous release that covered a gamut of styles from folk to prog to reggae. Released in 1978, this was a collection of artists recording for the Star Song imprint. The compilation only really surfaced in the UK at the same time as the release of the Arkangel 'Warrior' project in 1980. Arkangel are one of the bands featured here and one of the absolute highlights of this set. Their producer Jimmy Hotz's song "Beyond The Blues" opens the set and for the time it's an exceptionally well produced piece that sets up the album well. Unfortunately the quality elsewhere is patchy with a lot of the songs here non essential and the artists themselves barely managed to lift their heads above obscurity. The exceptions are an early instrumental offering from flautist Fletch Wiley called "Jubilee" which works well. Jim Gill's "Not Just Another Pretty Voice" is a humorous and quirky delight and the closing melodic bluesy "Without You" from Tom Autry sounds great too. Some of these artists had short lived album releases that didn't really surface this side of the pond.

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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