Reviewed by Paul Briggs

Another album in 'The Early Years' series, this time from singer/songwriter John Michael Talbot. The cover shows him with his now familiar basin cut, beard and habit, which is strange if only because he did not become a Franciscan monk until 1978. The music ranges from gentle to joyful. Mainly guitar and voice, the drums and bass kick in in the louder passages, his vocals inevitably sound a little dated at times, but that's not necessarily a criticism, simply that music has changed considerably in the years since. There are eight songs here, taken from his first two albums 'John Michael Talbot' (1976) and 'The New Earth' (1977). With only 32 minutes and 22 seconds of music, it makes you wonder why they didn't release the two albums complete on one CD. There's no lyric sheet, sleeve notes or biography.

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