Reviewed by Andy Shaw

Working with Creative Soul Records, John Falcone has here brought together a talented group of musicians, many of whom have previously worked on Grammy and Dove Award winning albums. That talent is evidenced by how in sync the musicians sound throughout the record. The passion and emotion Falcone has put into this project shines through thanks to some great songwriting and a powerful vocal performance showing off a versatility in belting out the upper register rock chorus as well as the more restrained and reflective ballad. There is an '80s hard rock feel featuring full throttle punchy guitar riffs and driving bass lines to many of the songs here as well as some more reflective power ballads. The electric guitar rules for much of the album and there are many impressive solos. The power of the music matches the power in the lyrics as Falcone sings openly and honestly about his experience of encountering God in an encouraging and uplifting way, "Just know, there isn't a place, you can't feel the warmth of his grace." The reflective moments are equally powerful in their own way. "Why?" has an acoustic guitar accompaniment and is a song about the difficult questions in life and that it's okay to bring those questions to God, "Sometimes your perfect plan, I just don't understand." There are a couple of tracks written for John's wife, veering towards pop on "A Year Ago Today" and sticking to piano and cello on the tender "A Wedding Song". Overall this is a powerful record that has a level of maturity in composition and songwriting that is rare on a 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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