Reviewed by Peter Timmis

Recently on the Cross Rhythms site you may have read a review of the sublime 1995 album 'By The Waves' by this Nashville-based songstress but by 2008's 'It Is Well' we find a very different Jennifer Martin. She has begun to work as a worship leader and this mostly piano-led record is more straightforward and God focused than its personal, acoustic guitar-based predecessor and one can't help but miss the quirkiness of the songwriting displayed in her earlier work. Having said that, Jennifer's beautiful voice and the sheer quality of the musicianship prevent this from becoming a dull MOR project. After opening with a couple of slightly underwhelming numbers the album really gets into its stride with "O Come Be Born Again" where Jennifer's hushed tones are backed with rich, deep harmonies from Michael Mellet and this is followed by the superb Latin flavoured "How Beautiful Is The Lord" with Jodi Haynes adding a neat falsetto vocal to the chorus. The album benefits from violin and cello embellishments from David Davidson and Tom Shinness which are used to haunting effect in songs like the classy title track and the atmospheric "Lord Bless Jerusalem". On the face of it 'It Is Well' may seem a little low key especially when compared to 'By The Waves' but by the time the brief yet powerful final track "Let The Morning Bring Word" comes to an end the listener will surely have been touched by the talent of this gifted singer/songwriter.

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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