Reviewed by Dave Brassington

I must admit to having been somewhat disappointed by some of Charlie's recent releases. For some strange reason his record companies have been strangely reluctant to let him record original material. It is possible that the creative genius in this native Liverpudlian can only produce so many good songs, but in my opinion anybody with a decent voice can churn out pleasant versions of pop and country standards, however there are very few artists who can write and sing such fine original songs as can be found on this new release. Obviously journeying is the theme of the album as implied by the album cover showing Charlie walking on the seashore. There are 16 tracks, 13 new songs by Charlie, with the very moving "Goodbye My Friend", the Kate Wolf song "All He Ever Saw Was You", and the country song "Yesterday Just Passed My Way Again" being the exceptions. The album opens with a toe-tapper "Just Getting By" and very soon we hear a great new song "Everything Has A Price" with it's very reflective lyric taking us to the cross. The title track "Looking For A Destination" is a thought provoking song on the meaning of life. "The Lion's Share" is about the great day of God's judgment. "Angel Of Mercy" reflects on the passing of time but in a very positive way. A similar theme is followed on "The Way Back Home". Throughout, Pete Ware's production is spot on and it's a delight to hear the songsmith without the over-production of recent releases. The backing can best be described as tasteful country with nice touches of fiddle and steel guitar plus long time friend Pete Brazil on accordion. This is an album I enjoyed from the very first note.

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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