Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Having explored the thrilling vistas of Heaven in 'City Of Gold' composers Phil Baggaley, Dave Clifton and Ian Blythe plus poet Adrian Plass now turn to an even more challenging topic, the need for the Church to awake from its slumbers and to carry the message of a Saviour to a world careering to destruction. They achieve their goal with another breathtaking mix of music and poetry. If anything Plass' poetry on 'Shipwrecks And Islands' is even stronger, so than even when distinctly Betchemanesque as on "Shades Of Blue" the effect is emotionally compelling. The standout musical tracks are "Holy Ground" where over an Enya-like synth Mai Pope purrs the memorable melody with real poignancy, and "Surrounded" on which Julie Costello sweetly sings a beautiful hook and husband Neil adds some haunting guitar work, but there are several other tracks here which pass the old grey whistle test and work brilliantly outside the context of this musical.

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