Reviewed by Tony Cummings

I suppose it was Simeon Wood and John Gerighty who first made the unlikely discovery that panpipes had built in Christian bookshop manager appeal. But it certainly took many observers by surprise to see this album of panpipe and synth arrangements of well known choruses and hymns become (by British standards) an instant Christian music smash. Herewith, is the problem confronting the marketing of Christian music in Britain. The major retail outlets won't play in store the cutting edge stuff deeming it too noisy for browsing and instead plump for inoffensive muzak like Rob And Gilly Bennett and this one. So what IS Simon Bernard-Smith like? Precisely what you'd expect, meditative and haunting on the more worshipful material, bland in other places and once or twice uncomfortably resembling someone blowing into a car exhaust on a couple of the uptempo songs. Still, don't knock a chart hit, Cummings.

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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