Reviewed by Tom Lennie

According to her website, Heather is a reverend and a "revivalist/new songs of the Spirit psalmist". Based in Wales, she feels a particular calling to minister to both Jews and Christians, interceding for them and reminding them of "the essence and the fragrance of the Father's love concerning us." Interestingly, all but three of the 13 songs on this hour-long collection are completely spontaneous pieces. As such there is an impressive variety in style and lyrical makeup. Indeed, these gentle, ambling songs genuinely capture something of the flow of the Spirit as he sings over his beloved. They are played acoustically, with only piano as accompaniment (one song is ably performed acappella). One or two are worshipful songs of adoration (eg, "Holy Holy"), numerous others are expressions of encouragement to God's children, and several are directed specifically at the Jewish people. Two pieces in the latter category - "You Are Not Alone" and "Aliyah" - are among the non-spontaneous compositions. Perhaps the most interesting track is "How Long", where Heather is joined on vocals by Paul Critchley (an extremely talented Stoke-on-Trent-based worship leader) to create, out of nothing, a beautifully moving heart cry to the Lord. (Heather had never sung with Critchley before, and he had never heard her sing.) The one real drawback to the album is that Heather's vocals are at times a bit shaky - she doesn't have the strength of voice to carry off a venture like this with glowing success. It's a pity, as this is an unusual and ambitious project, with a definite sense of Spirit-inspiration and delivered straight from the heart.

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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