Reviewed by Trevor Fitzgerald

'Since You Came' is a five-song EP from a big voiced singer, Bernadette Laster, from upstate, New York, which has got her nominated for Female Vocalist Of The Year at 2007's Newsome Awards (whatever they are). All five songs have that classic gospel soul sound. The pick of the bunch is the syncopated "When I Think", which has a great melody line, solid back up singing and prayerful lyrics that really inspire you to praise God ("If I had 10,000 tongues, I couldn't thank you for all the joy you bring/All I know is that when I think of all you've done, I just wanna give you all the praise"). My only problem with this album is that there are no real upbeat songs. All five tracks are very close in tempo, which makes them tend to blend into each other. All in all this is a solid showcase but a greater spark of originality would have been appreciated.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.