Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Interestingly, her debut album contained a stonking version of Bob Dylan's "Saved" that was a turntable hit on Cross Rhythms radio. Spookily, I actually met her dad in a queue at the Dove Awards. Incredibly, 'That Voice' is the perfect title for an inspirational pop album, with plenty of soul and Sandra's incredible pipes sitting pretty on top of the whole thing. She just has one of those voices that stops you in your tracks and this album is a huge step forward from her last. Tight production work gives the perfect vehicle for her to shine out and I really like it when she cuts loose on the uptempo "New Day", and the more R&B focused "Mercy's Eyes" and the meaty gospel pop of "Haven Of The Heart". The downside of this is that a great deal of the tracks are more inspo-pop like "Willing And Worthy" and "Because I Wear Your Name". These show that Sandra is an excellent ballad singer but the sound is too generic - there are hundreds of recordings like these and I think Ms Payne is worthy of something better. That said, no doubt American Easy Listening radio will snap 'em up so they'll serve a purpose. But for me, I am just a little disappointed. Still, she's just as good as stalwarts like Kathy Trocclli or Cindy Morgan and surely it's only time before she breaks out to a larger audience.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.