Reviewed by Peter Dilley

I was enjoying the easygoing amalgam of Dylan/Clapton-influenced acoustic blues and folk on one of no less than three CDs released by Dale Brown this year, but then I came to the song which is closest to being its title track. Dale perhaps intended "Mahound Dog" as a light-hearted jibe at the Satanic Verses furore, suicide bombers and other aspects of Islamist extremism, but from its title onwards it comes across as an offensive rant against all Muslims, their faith and their culture, which offers nothing positive from a Christian standpoint. I can see no justification for the inclusion of this song, whatever the worst excesses Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and other misguided so-called fundamentalists. In the current climate we need to engage with those of other faiths by demonstrating sensitivity and Christian love, rather than by going aggressively on the offensive ourselves, and just trashing others' belief systems. On other tracks, Dale complements his blues guitar skills with his wry sense of humour to much better effect, but unless the unguarded polemic of "Mahound Dog" is expunged, 'Beware Of Dogs' is not an album which I would endorse.

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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