Reviewed by Pippa Rimmer

And now over to our Italian correspondent… Roberto Bignoli is hailed as one of Italy’s foremost Christian singer/songwriters and this is his seventh album to date. Since his conversion in 1984 he’s been penning songs with a spiritual theme and last year won an award for the best international artist for his song “Ho Bisogno di Te” (title track of his newest offering) at the Unity Awards which is promoted by the United Catholic Music And Video Association (UCMVA). “Ho Bisogno di Te” (I Need You) is an emotional and sincere blend of blues, rock and pop. The opening track “Cosa c’e” (What Is There?) explores the issue of pain and suffering. The blues-inspired “Blues Cielo Blu” (Blue Sky Blues) is a song of praise to God with the Psalmic declaration: “All of you sun moon and stars, praise him.” The title track expresses our need for God, where we are his children who are desperate for our Heavenly Father’s love. In the heartfelt “Le Lacrime di Dio” (The Tears Of God), Roberto describes the plight of abused women, of countries torn apart by war and the inhumanity of violence. But the song ends by saying that with each holy teardrop dropping to earth, new hope is born. The one weakness in the album from a purely theological point of view is the song “Blues Per Maria”, which is a declaration of love to the Virgin Mary. Although this album won’t present any huge surprises, it will provide a refreshing change if you’re fed up with the usual Anglo-American suspects.

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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