Reviewed by Tricia Campbell

With 14 years of recording and nine albums to his name, it is undeniable that Welshman Martyn Joseph has established himself as a pioneer of Christian contemporary music. I'm sure the more mature of you can remember a time when cool Christian music was very rare. But then came the '80s and with it inspired new artists such as Martyn Joseph. First released in '84 and '86, the now re-issued 'Nobody's Fool' and 'Sold Out' are a step back into the '80s, a time I can only just about remember! Martyn has a great voice, sometimes sounding a tiny bit like David Bowie and Bryan Adams, the lyrics are very good, if a little repetitive and the accompaniments sound like competent session musos furiously trying to overcome tiny recording budgets and play the same pop and rock licks they could hear in the charts. There's even a reggae tune. 'Sold Out' is better produced than 'Nobody's Fool', in which some of the songs are unquestionably corny.

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