Reviewed by Andrew Rolfe

I am a fan of music not being produced in major studios by major artists for major commercial gain. "Can't Do Right" might be the title of one track, but this album as a whole does something very right: it rocks more than a large collection of musically inspired boulders. Two years have passed since Cross Rhythms last reviewed this band and they say their musical style has developed since then. The sound now revolves around one female and one balancing male vocal, jazzy trumpet, alto and tenor sax, keyboard and electric guitar with varieties of distortion, flange, rhythm and finger-burning lead. The drumming and bass are tighter than Charles Dickens's Scrooge. The lead guitarist flies around all over the place like a mad-keen teenage pilot who's just passed his flying test. The vocals have a satisfying range. Sometimes the trumpet and sax feel a little detached. Ditto the vocals. I'm guessing they were added later and the equipment couldn't blend as seamlessly as a top-notch professional studio. On the whole this album matches any of the record label Christian stuff in this style: be prepared for great homegrown listening sessions, which still leave me impressed with what the family achieved (I'm guessing they're family seeing as though six of the seven share only two surnames). "Can't Do Right" has a definite Larry Norman flavor with its overdriven bluesy guitar and spoken-sung-shouted lyrics. "Flying" reminds me of a typical Van Morrison trumpet-guitar arrangement - most pleasing. "Lead Me To The Rock" is a start-mellow-end-in-a-flurry sweet track that finds the female vocal breaking out and experimenting with some quick range alterations - go for it lass. "Passin Through" simply rocks, in a souly-jazz kind of way. "Space Invaders" left me asking whether Glenn Kaiser and his Resurrection Band had popped into my CD player when I wasn't looking. Overall (and I'm repeating myself like usual) I'm really impressed with this album. Towards the end the instruments blend more smoothly and the vocal placement becomes more integrated. The artists sell the album personally for a mere £5.00 plus postage - a bargain for a great second album.

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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