Reviewed by Iain Nash

This is the debut album from a Sussex singer/songwriter. Taking four years to pen and mix in local studios, this album is a reflection upon Blain's walk with God. The record is well crafted, using gospel topics such as creation, life, death, resurrection and finality as a template for the track order. Musically, there are moments of sheer delight, such as the excellent bluesy guitar work on "No Other", Helen Jane Morris' beautiful backing vocals on "You Are Everything To Me" and the string arrangements on "Psalm 23", helping to bring the narrative through. But there are also areas of inexperience, tarnishing some of the promising songs. The famous sayings used on "Planet Earth" are indeed clever, but the inclusion of a ticking clock and space invader style sounds on "End Of Time" is both clichéd and cheesy. "You're Alive" also suffers from excessive mixing with harsh and dirty electric guitars taking the listener's attention away from the lyric. The best track by far is "The One Who Carries The Light" which has gorgeous lyrics about following God's ways as he provides the light when we walk in darkness and has a soft, captivating melody which draws you in. A promising debut.

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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