Reviewed by Tom Lennie

This album first came out in 1997 and has now been re-released, again on Billy's own Walking Angel label. Mr Crockett is a singer/songwriter still relative­ly unknown in the UK, despite having had eight US album releases. He's proba­bly better known for his one-track contribution to the beautiful Rich Mullins' 'Awesome God' tribute album. He also got a glowing review in this magazine (CR 49) for his superb studio album 'Watermarks'. This live set was recorded at various Texan churches and has a wonderful atmosphere; you really feel you're sitting there in their midst. Whilst warm and enthusiastic, the "live" audience sound is never intrusive. As Billy himself says; "Concerts are where the action is. Our lives are thrown together for a couple of hours and the conversation becomes art." He certainly fits very naturally in a live surrounding which seems to bring out the warmth of his personality almost an hour and a quarter of audio is captured on disc, with (thankfully) a minimum of dialogue. The album is a perfect compliment to the totally serious 'Watermarks', showing another side of him. Throughout the 18-song set, Billy mixes many moments of humour with serious statements about life and eternity. Yet it's always apparent that his heart lies with God. The album is totally acoustic; Mr Crockett on guitar and a little support from others on accordion and background vocals. His music is folk/easy listening in style, and he has a warm and truly compellingly genuine voice. He has the wonderful ability to write simple songs, delightfully catchy yet always poignant in content. "Thankful Boys And Girls" portrays his gratitude for all the varied pleasures in life. "Bottom Of Life" has a humorous and deliberate blues feel and, like other tracks, shows his true guitar-picking dexterity. I've never been so impressed with a singer/songwriter since I first heard Canadian Steve Bell! This album is an absolute delight.

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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