Reviewed by Peter Timmis

Don't let the garish sleeve put you off, this 2009 release from the Canadian 'worship pastor' is really a rather good album. 'Light Up The Sky' is a varied record full of strong rock songs, delicate acoustic tracks and more worshipful numbers - in fact it's so varied at times it almost feels like a compilation, not a bad thing as it keeps you hooked for all of its 50 minutes. The CD's opening track "There's A Life" starts out a little like Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road" but soon settles into a solid pop rocker with a chugging riff guaranteed to get you nodding along. Jon is obviously a gifted guitarist as demonstrated by the scorching wah wah solo on "Power In A Song" which also features a supremely catchy chorus, "There is power in a song/Especially when you sing along/The Heavens open up and Hell is shut below/Your voice makes more of a difference than you know". The only track that doesn't quite work is "Have Mercy" which features fine funky guitars but is spoilt by some tepid rapping from Fresh I E. This aside, fans of rock worship will find a lot to like here.

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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