Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Although released in 2002 it was only in 2024 that I got to hear this album. For awhile I was very puzzled as to why Jamaican Selvin Ricketts, he who is Balie Messenger, should compose such melodically simple and lyrical stilted songs (example: "Won't you give it up for Jesus/Won't you give it up for Jesus/Won't you give it up for Jesus/He'll cleanse you of your sin") and then take the time, trouble and expense to record them. My researcher endeavoured to find information about Balie Messenger but the only facts she could establish were that Selvin was a Seventh Day Adventist who was born in 1952 and sadly died earlier this year. She wasn't able to find where the studio Krystal Sounds Recording was located, nor the record label Black Fruit Records. When I was playing 'Sing Praises' for the second time the penny finally dropped. These songs are, I believe, intended primarily for children. When they don't have such an intended audience, like the maudlin devotional ballad "Lord Take Me", his limitations as a singer and producer hold them back, but when they have an upbeat approach or best of all a reggae rhythm, they work very well in communicating spiritual truth. So if you're looking for a kind of black equivalent of Ishmael - the man who did such brilliant children's ministry with Caucasians - let me recommend Balie Messenger.

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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