Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Many critics called Unspoken's 2016 album 'Follow Through' one of the best of the year and now, at last, the team from Nashville, with their utterly engaging half-modern/half-retro CCM, are back with another set of songs guaranteed to make radio stations around the world. The focal point of the group has to be vocalist Chad Mattson, and whether he's belting out high notes or nearly rapping (as on "Human Condition"), he's fast becoming one of the most distinctive vocalists in Christian music. The gospel music-infused "Just Give Me Jesus" is downright soulful, while "Mistakes" has what a US critic described as "one of the best hooks of the year". My suggestion for the best song on the whole album is "If We Only Knew", with some impactful lyrics ("If we only knew/How deep the ocean of your love/How powerful every drop of blood/How much it cost to rescue us"). All in all, this is an excellent set. To quote from another American reviewer, "In an age when it's easy to accuse Christian pop music of being at an all-time low - as if radio singles arrive straight off of an assembly line of computerised beats, overused hooks, and clichéd lyrics - Unspoken's 'Reason' is a shining exception of a talented band not trying to reinvent the genre or push the boundaries of the genre, but instead perfectly utilising the genre for all of its thrills and benefits."

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.