Reviewed by Philip Woodward

"I cannot help but share the experiences of my life and the places I have seen", says Sal Solo. in the liner notes of 'We Cry Justice!'. And a very admirable thing that is to do too, Sal. Britain's former frontman of '80s new romantic band Classic Nouveau, who has now relocated to Chicago, has often targeted social issues in his solo work, but he has stepped up a gear with this new release. Considering the album was recorded solely by Solo (how apt) on his laptop, the album is impressively varied. Solo tends to veer towards a world music style, employing rhythms and sounds indigenous to cultures around the world, and juxtaposes them in this album, often to great effect. The instrumental album opener "Genesis" perfectly demonstrates this, it's combination of foreign horns and strings combining with a more western-sounding percussion, to resonate pleasantly akin to Damon Albarn's Gorillaz. And while the production occasionally falters, rendering some songs akin to a Lion King B-side, this is a challenging and interesting album and much more worthy of attention than the sub-U2 fare wandering around the Christian music scene. Solo is also helped out by rapper Justus, most successfully on "Cry Of The Poor", whilst "A.I.D.S Africa" is a haunting and addictive highlight, demonstrating the soul and depth of Solo's impressive work.

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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