Reviewed by Brendan O'Regan

With quite a lot of generic Christian pop out there it's good to hear a genuine rock band belting it out, and this Michigan-based outfit provides the goods. The vocals are bluesily gutsy, though maybe a bit strained at times. They are especially fine when Tiffany Ivey provides female vocals and sings harmonies. Instrumentation is well up to par with some fine guitar solos and real, programme free drumming! There's a Gospel seriousness in the lyrics, but the album is also playful at times - eg, on "Lift Yo Hands" the singer pauses, tongue in cheek for a "moment of quiet reflection" but whips us back into the song almost immediately with a "time's up!" Most songs are band originals, but I loved their rocked up version of "Amazing Grace", which they call "Amazing Haze". There's a sense of human brokenness and the need for God's healing on many tracks, most explicitly on "Heal Me" and "Broken". The lyrics throughout aren't Shakespeare but go well beyond the standard praise and worship Scripture paraphrasing. All in all, a pretty strong 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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