Reviewed by Tom Lennie

A young singer/songwriter from Northern Ireland, Nathan has been experimenting with music ever since discovering as a child an old forgotten guitar beneath his parents' bed! His debut recording is, in his own words, "the culmination of many years of endeavour and relentless graft". These are creative piano or acoustic guitar-based songs (both played by Jess, but supported by a well-resourced team of fellow musicians) - several of which have a light jazz feel. This finds expression in chirpy upbeat form on the opening track, though it's spoiled slightly in my opinion by the annoying refrain, "I've got Jesus in my heart/Have you got Jesus in your heart?" Other songs tend to be more restrained and moody in tone, and there's considerable variety of both musical and thematic demonstration throughout, revealing the breadth of this man's writing and musical gifting. What also comes over is Jess's spiritual passion - the laidback nature of some tunes is countered by an intensity of mood. Thus, while he's been compared to a young Iain Archer, this yearning in vocal delivery also finds comparability to another Irish troubadour, Johnny Parks. (And, uncommonly, though like both Parks and Brian Houston, Nathan's north Irish twang gets unconscious expression on several tracks). A couple of songs ("Postlude [Hallelujah]" and "Your Name" are obviously worshipful. "Cliff's Song" tells about a homeless guy that the writer got alongside, his life being changed through the love of Christ. "Are You Weary" finds Nathan wrestling with the tough questions tackled in Psalm 13, while the lengthy, appealing "Come Rescue Us" appears to challenge the Church to respond to the ongoing cries of a needy and unsaved world. It's a pity, though, that no lyric sheet is provided. These are not instantly catchy songs, but with repeated listen, the album is a definite grower. I'm on my seventh listen, and I've got to say, I love it!

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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