Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Down the decades thousands of record producers have endeavoured to recreate a retro sound that makes references to the Beatles, Beach Boys, Byrds et al without being a mere pale pastiche, Studio maestro Terry Taylor succeeded brilliantly in achieving a convincing 60s sound and with this talented bunch os musicians from Alanta made some artfully crated CCM. The opener here, "Look At You Now2 is a rollicking hooky rocker and it wasn't for Jerry Davison's lad voice in place of Terry Taylor's, you'd swear you were listening to Daniel Amos. There are plenty more goodies here. The Encyclopedia Of Contemporary Christian Music called "There Goues My Heart Again" "a masterpiece of melody and harmony akin to 'Pet Sounds'-era Beach Boys" and I wouldn't argue. The Taylor-penned song uses romantic imagery to describe the experience of renewed devotion to Christ. Then there's "Beggars And Kings" with contributions from Randy Stonehill and some sublime Byrds-style jangly guitar; the tuneful pop of "Dreamaker" penned by the band's Steve Atwell, Mark Blackburn and Jerry Dawson; the worship anthem "Further Up And Further In" based on a theme fom C S Lewis' Narnia stories; an engaging cover of Dylan's "I Believe In You"; and the witty "Mr Hitler" which depicts a disgruntled employee who wants to invite his boss and colleagues to dinner and "convince them right between their eyes" (ie, with a gun) that God is on his side. Finally, there an arresting "About Sex Pt 1". When Cross Rhythms reviewed 'Knock, Breate, Shine' way back in 1990 the reviewer innexpliccably gave the album a thumbs down. In fact, if you enjoy retro pop rock this is close to being a classic.

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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