Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

I first discovered Michael Card and his distinctive brand of folksy, scripturally based, highly melodious music in 1992 via The Life' trilogy, which captivated me then and still does to this day. I instantly became a firm fan of this hyper-versatile Nashvillean who can play piano, banjo, guitar and harp, studied astronomy and physics at college, and also has a degree in Old Testament Rabbinics. All that talent and knowledge comes in very handy on this project, the title of which is self-explanatory. There is only one Card original song here, the title track; the rest are hymns such as "I Heard The Voice Of Jesus Say", set to the old Irish tune "Star Of The County Down"; "Jesus Lover Of My Soul" to the Welsh hymn tune "Aberystwyth" (trivia fact: Michael's ancestors came to the USA from Wales); "Be Thou My Vision", "The King Of Love My Shepherd Is", "Morning Has Broken" are also here, as is a Celtic band that makes all the right noises with Uillean pipes, bodhran, whistle, etc, to back up Michael's Celtic harp, piano, guitar and distinctive vocals. This is more than jumping on the Celtic bandwagon; this is one of those albums that ministers to the soul and soothes the troubled mind. "Starkindler" is my favourite on the album; the lyrics convey Scriptural truth in typical Card style, with a fiddle-driven melody that lollops along as any self-respecting jig should. My only gripes: most of the material has been done many times before (though rarely as well), and the playing time, just over 34 minutes, is a bit stingy. Nevertheless, another quality album that will appeal to all who love Celtic and Celtic-style music.

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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