Reviewed by Haydon Spenceley

"'Paradise Sky' is the album that best defines my past and present," states Stonehill. "It's a full blown studio recording of those songs that started my career and became a musical backdrop for the Jesus Movement of the '70s." Indeed it is. 'Paradise Sky' is something of a throwback, a window into a period in Christian music's history. What we have here is a collection of re-recordings from veteran Stonehill's classic '70s albums 'Born Twice' and 'Welcome To Paradise' plus one or two songs from the later 'The Sky Is Falling' and 'Equator'. Completed as a soundtrack to the controversial documentary Fallen Angel about Stonehill's one-time collaborator Larry Norman, 'Paradise Sky' finds Stonehill in great form as he brings these songs from a bygone age to life once again. Worthy of special attention are "King Of Hearts" with its beautiful acoustic guitar work and the jangly rifforama of "The Winner". Thing is though, each song here carries enough melodic power and lyrical bite and wit to make them all worth the ears and hearts of a new audience. Randy Stonehill is, quite obviously, a stunning talent, and this collection of songs is a strong testimony to the vibrancy and consistency of his output during the 1970s. You owe it to yourself to listen, mark and inwardly digest these songs, whether they are new to you or you welcome them like old friends. Now let's see if Christian music of our day can come up with something this good.

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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