Reviewed by Peter John Willoughby

Now I came to know Delirious? quite late in their career. I had heard "Deeper" back in 1997 and was unimpressed with their brand of pop, and dismissed them. Many years later I couldn't understand why one of my friends was raving about them, until he lent me 'The Mission Bell' and I discovered that that they had taken a rock direction. You have to remind yourself that this might never have happened. In August 1995 Martin Smith was hospitalised for several weeks following a serious car accident and suffered depression, before making the decision to become a full-time musician. Their youth outreach event, "Cutting Edge", hit a peak in 1996 when an estimated 4,000 people attended the open-air event and Channel 4 filmed it. The band have always struggled with gaining mainstream chart success, but resigned themselves to making an impact wherever they could. If you split the songs into worship and rock categories, then my favourites would be 'Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble' and 'Raindown". However, the one that always challenges is "40 million babies lost to Gods great orphanage/It's a modern day genocide and a modern day disgrace/If this is a human right then why aren't we free?/The only freedom we have is in a man nailed to a tree/100 million faces, staring at the sky/Wondering if this HIV will ever pass us by/The Devil stole the rain and hope trickles down the plug/But still my Chinese take away could pay for someone's drugs/Our God reigns, Our God reigns". With the wider worldview in mind, Martin Smith is now involved in the Compassionart project. This timeless compilation of what he, and the other d:boys have achieved so far.

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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