Reviewed by Philip Taylor

Cory Dauber is a member of the Deeper Well Gospel Collective, a group of musicians and songwriters in the Portland area who are connected to the Door Of Hope church. The sound of Cory's Americana-tinged debut is very much a cross between United Pursuit's Will Reagan and early Bob Dylan, although a poorer version of both. Across the album, the journey is much the same with little changing from song to song in terms of style, feel and even dynamically. The songs limp to a monotonous conclusion with each new start very much like the last. The writer is lyrically obscure at times and often follows no real lyrical structure and this sometimes feels jarring. There are a couple of notable exceptions that give the album a little spice. "Alive With Christ" has a really nice feel and draws you in with some great musicality and on this song the lyrics are beautifully woven around the melody. "Mercy" is also an outstanding effort that rounds off the album nicely with its cry for God to "fill me up, give me joy again" and the refrain sings out with "who the son sets free is free indeed."

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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