Reviewed by Alan & Angeline Chesters

The studio recording of the latest musical from prolific writer/musician/singer Paul Field features the Iona influence of Mike Haughton, the guitar of Bryn Howarth and vocals from John Perry and the wonderfully expressive Esther Alexander. On first hearing, the 12 tracks seem to be disjointed but this is because themes are taken from Matthew, chapters five to seven, the Sermon On The Mount, focusing on God's values. There's a complete variety of style, including DJ and rap and a comic ballad, with sound effects, on the theme of loving your enemies, which sounds like an amalgamation of "The Streak" and "Big Bad John"! While I'm mentioning mainstream influences, the song "Treasures In Heaven" is reminiscent of "Eleanor Rigby"/"She's Leaving Home". There is a good balance of melancholy and joy on this album, which is well worth buying if you've not already done so during the tour of the show.

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