Reviewed by Ben Lilford

Created to give glory back to God for his label's achievements, Rebirth is the brainchild of Base9's head honcho Shane Ries. The musicians involved have shuffled around since the last album, but the constant writing forces in the group are still Sandra Stevens and Shane Ries himself. Sandra, much loved by Christian dance music buffs for her storming vocals on early N-Soul albums, has a vocal style compared to Angie Stone and Lisa McClendon, which isn't bad company to be in, but it's Shane Ries production techniques which (for me) give the project its wings. Though strictly in a neo-soul vibe, 'Episode 5''s music ranges from the all out Rhodes and funk guitar attack of the 1Xtra played "Give It To Me", to the acoustic guitar and sampler-based vibe of "You Are Loved". Unfortunately, there isn't enough depth to this album to make it a classic, but as a solid representation of the neo soul genre it definitely stands out.

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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