Reviewed by Simon Eden

Andy is the Sheffield-based producer best known for his work with acts like The Gentlemen and Philippa Hanna and now he's got around to recording an album himself. I can report that this contains some of the best songs you may never hear. I have been playing them to death and still they keep calling me back for repeat listens. Track one, "Captivated", seemed to have a lame start with opening lyrics "I'm growing older, feeling colder" but 30 seconds later the chorus kicks in and builds to a rocky instrumental break by which point I was captivated. Similarly "Never Far From Me" has a slow, quiet beginning but builds through heartfelt vocals to a declaration of trust in God, even through the hard times. There are few tracks that force me to pick up a guitar and work out the chords just so I can play it myself, but these are two that do. They deserve to be picked up and played in churches across the land. Despite being a record producer, the production is kept simple with the standard acoustic and electric guitars, piano and drums. The other tracks are well written expressions of personal worship with crisp pop rock arrangements with adjectival titles such as "Great", "Amazing", "Empowered" and "Beautiful". All in all, an exceptional independent release.

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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