Reviewed by Tim Walker

Apart from one "problem", Mr Homer's first "roots praise" collection two years back was just what I'd been praying for ages. Out went the ubiquitous mid-Atlantic soft pop, in reeled Celtic jigs and airs. Wonderful. The problem? Quite simply -TECHNOLOGY!!! Clearly I'm not the only one who complained to Sammy, judging by this new collection. The synths and drumboxes of Vol 1 have left by the barn door, allowing in all the fiddles, mandolins and Celtic harps which couldn't fit in last time. And what a change! This time, Sammy and his multitudinous friends (Electrics past and present, Jonathan Day, Rodney Cordner, Jean-Pierre Rudolph and many others) really have got it spot on. The songs are stronger than ever, originals mingling with Celtified hymns (eg, "I Cannot Tell") and many would fit well into ordinary worship situations. Best of all, though, they rub shoulders with a number of great instrumentals, including the marvellous "Berni's Wedding Jig". On Volume 1, Jonathan Day exhorted those of us tired of "production line praise" to "let some holy fire through your ears". This time, Jon, I'll bring my friends too - in a perfect world, all P&W albums would sound like this!

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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