Reviewed by Tim Holden

Hope you read Cross Rhythms' recent article on Karen and now recognise the veteran singer/songwriter's major contribution to CCM and praise and worship. As a musician and missionary Karen has been exposed to many styles of music for many years and has here recorded a selection of songs with inspiration from around the world. The range of styles and influences is immense, from Native American through African, Celtic, Spanish, Romanian, Kurdish, Asian, Mexican and Portuguese. All are very accessible and have a Western feel and arrangement which makes for a cohesiveness that could easily be missing with such variety whilst still having the spirit and feel of the locality that they are about. Karen is a gifted songwriter and lots of the songs tell stories, such as "Fidelina" linking a young girl thrown out of home by her father with the Prodigal Son while Karen's voice remains pure and sweet. The musical arrangements and production help the music to come alive leading to a MOR album with a bit more of a cutting edge then you might expect.

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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