Reviewed by Ian Hayter

You can never accuse Garth Hewitt of not making it obvious what he's singing about. From the early days of his evangelistic ministry to the latter cries for social justice, it's crystal clear where the veteran troubadour is coming from and how passionately he wants you to share his world view. In recent years Garth's most consistent lyrical focus has been the situation in Israel-Palestine and this eight track set, with its cover photo of the iniquitous wall around Bethlehem, leaves you in no doubt about his particular political viewpoint. The stripped down arrangements of his songs seem to emphasise the emotion behind his words and his individual style is, as always, unmistakeable. Included in the set are "They've Cancelled Christmas In Bethlehem" (which is rapidly becoming a classic), two songs written in The Church Of The Nativity in Bethlehem (one - "One Of Us" - co-written and performed with Paul Field) and the haunting "The Death Of Trees" in which Arab musician Reem Kelani brings an indigenous atmosphere to the music. "Humans Too" reminds us that Palestinians need their humanity to be respected and "Shine On (Star Of Bethlehem)" would be a great song to use in a Christmas Carol service. There's nothing unexpected on this album, but the Rev Hewitt delivers his message with skill and passion. If you take the words seriously, this is not an easy album to listen to, but it needs to be heard.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.