Reviewed by Doug Holland

Without doubt one of the traits of the singer renowned for his prophetic approach to worship is his ability to walk the line between the justified and valuable exploration of musical and lyrical God-centred ideas and unjustified self-indulgence. Hearteningly, this 64-minute,10-track offering, originally released in 2002 demonstrates none of the latter but offers directness, passion and insight. Upton's songs are put together and sound like nobody else's; he never wastes a phrase of the lyric, is completely original, avoiding going anywhere near the trite, and his melodies invariably provoke a sense of expectation at being about to move on to somewhere yet more interesting. His voice is edgy (especially towards the top of his range) and its effect (unlike the majority of performers) is sharpened by the minimalist approach to the use of backing vocals. Leading from the keyboard, Upton is supported expertly on this collection of self-penned tracks by acoustic guitar, bass, drums, cello and violin, and once the final track has faded away the listener is left with only the contradictory emotions of disappointment at that fact and a sense thankfulness and satisfaction at having been present when very important issues were tackled.

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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