Reviewed by George Luke

Before I get to the actual review, I need to get something off my chest: why does the Body of Christ have such a narrow definition of jazz? Whenever a Christian talks about 'jazz gospel', you can be certain that what they really mean is some bloke with a saxophone playing bland instrumental covers of old choruses, or something along those lines. None of the cool yet adventurous improvisation and brilliance you used to get from the Duke Ellingtons and John Coltranes of bygone years, or the Joshua Redmans and Courtney Pines of today; instead of it's all bland sax instrumentals which are more pop than jazz in my book (not that I'm a purist or anything). But credit where credit's due. There's obviously a market for this sort of thing, and Craig and his players will certainly strike the right notes with fans of Najee and Everett Harp, or - dare I say it - Kenny G. Beautiful sax playing, perfectly complemented by the rest of the band, slick backing vocals and production so highly polished you can see your face in it. I was particularly taken with the Latin workout "I Want Jesus To Walk With Me", and his cover of "Bridge Over Troubled Water". Not bad, in fact quite a nice album. Now get me some real jazz please.

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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