Reviewed by Simon Eden

There are two things I love about 2 For 1 re-releases; the first is the bargain price, the second is that you get the album with a track, "Let It Rise", which is still getting airplay years later. With a distant sound building the anthemic hook, there comes a guitar blast that launches the source album 'Every Time I Breathe'. If you've yet to hear Big Daddy Weave, this fivesome play rock guitar that is sometimes tinged with US country music. So there's plenty of 12 bar blues riffs and fiddles. Bottom line is that this is heartfelt manly passion in frontman Mike Weaver's songwriting. There is a balance between praise songs, adoring Jesus and songs about the reality of life with lyrics like "I tried till I cried". Sounds like even "real men" are allowed to fail and cry. Although most of the tracks on both albums don't particularly stand out, there are the occasional nuggets. "Hold Me Jesus" is a Rich Mullins classic even with the children briefly singing "I surrender all". The track "Fields Of Grace" could easily be a Stephen Curtis Chapman track. Both albums convey the sound of when the pick up truck of honest endeavour hits the road of life.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.