Reviewed by Neil Mansfield

N-Soul's latest pick of the UK sanctified dance crop comes in the form of '(Golden)' by Rhythm Saints. '(Golden)' is a CD of two halves opening with three tracks comprising of a weak mix of neither dance nor soul followed by five tracks of very listenable dance/dub with some fresh ideas. The highlight, "World", immediately stands out with its intriguing vibe yet not breaking the ambient dub mould. This track alone makes the album an essential addition to any DJ's record collection. "Goldenstate" is somewhat reminiscent of pedigree 808 State with more filter sweeps than you could shake a stick at! Like many sanctified dance acts, there is a healthy tension lyrically between getting a clear message across and using vocals as an instrument. "Spatial Anomaly" is a Drum Club-like 135 bpm trance track with the lyrical hook of "I feel high...on your love". This works very well, especially in the context of "Living Joy" and "Now That I'm Here" which both clearly describe fulfilment as a Christian. Unfortunately, the openers rather dilute the high points. They may be reasonable soul songs but I cannot understand why a high quality dance album would need such tracks. It is a distraction from what Rhythm Saints excel at.

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