Reviewed by Norman Smith

On the face of it, a brave attempt at merging gospel and jazz together with a largely original set of songs, and maybe, just maybe, in a live hall with atmosphere, intimacy and warmth, it may come off. But on CD, the partnership simply doesn't work, and here's why:- 1. Rhythmically it grates and quality tunewise is non-existent, sacrificing everything for pseudo jazzy syncopations and chord sequences; 2. The production (self produced by the artist) is woefully shallow and the mixing ineffective: 3 The main solo vocals by the artist are distinctly unremarkable by gospel standards, displaying a limited tenor range and lack of tonal clarity. If this triple toe-loop of a combination misfires drastically, then the finale of the repertoire sees the whole thing crashing through the ice! The disastrous duo "Jesus Loves Me" and "Acapella Praise" are embarrassingly self-indulgent and self-congratulatory, with a sidesplitingly out of tune soprano soloist in the latter. The Artistic Impression and Technical Merit Panel will not be holding their icy breath on this one!

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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