Reviewed by Stephen Luff

Emeka, otherwise known as Pastor Olu Emeka Akinpelu, is based at the Vessel Of Treasure Church in Brixton, London. Lyrically the album explores men, women, marriage, love and the Bible over 18 tracks. The CD opens with the title track (introduction), a spoken quote from 2 Corinthians. Followed by "All People Praise Him (Intro)" and "A Man (Interlude)" all spoken - this all proved a difficult listen for me for the start of a music album. Emeka's singing voice revealed on track four, "A Man", is smooth and silky and suits the songs well. However, the impression gained is that the message came first and the music was a second thought. Two examples are "Salvation Song" which is a sermon over an erratic music backing, and "Woman" with its spoken start and sporadic notes on a piano. There are exceptions, "Growing In Love" is a slight retro nod to '80s soul and the low key funky songs "Live Right" and "Love Is The Key" are enjoyable. This approach will result in the skip button being used a lot. Simply, this album needs to decide if it is a set of sermons or a collection of songs exploring the Christian life. In its current form, it is a difficult listen.

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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