Reviewed by Tony Cummings

It was thrilling for the Cross Rhythms team to learn that the singer, songwriter and worship leader had been signed to Bethel Music, surely today's most important record label in the whole modern worship movement. Like Phil Wickham and John Mark McMillan, Cory was once an independent artist recording and releasing top rate music, ignored by most US radio stations. (Cross Rhythms with its policy of selecting playlist items purely on the strength of the songs and artist performances, and not taking into account record label publicity pushes, have been playing independent releases since it first began broadcasting.) So Wickham, McMillan and Asbury all got Cross Rhythms radio play when humble independents and Cory's 'Let Me See Your Eyes' album had six songs that made it onto the Cross Rhythms stations. That album showed what a master songsmith he is, not only able to pen brilliant songs but sing them in a voice that is at times mesmerising. To catch the full impact, listen to the final two songs on 'Reckless Love', "Born Again" and "Endless Alleluia". The emotional intensity and dazzling vocal technique, from a husky croak to a soaring falsetto, make him one of the best new singers ("new" in the Dove Awards use of the word) to have stepped into the Christian music big time for ages. "Water And Dust" is an Americana-tinged don't lose heart song; "You Won't Let Go" has the kind of repetitious chorus which sophisticated musical palates or would-be-poets may find irritating but is in fact a brilliant device in driving home the truth that our Lord Almighty will never, ever loosen his grip from our hands, while "Death Where Is Your Sting" is a solemn anthem with what sounds a lot like bagpipes in the wall of sound accompaniment which conveys so powerfully the eternal determination of the believer that I'm putting an instruction in my will that this surging anthem be played at my funeral. If you haven't yet picked up on the fact, Cory's "Reckless Love", written with Caleb Culver and Ran Jackson, has just been named Song Of The Year at the 2018 Doves. Truth be told they could have selected five or six others from this superlative album.

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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