Reviewed by Tony Cummings

These South Carolina rockers are a class act. Whether it's the ear-blasting "Restless" with a drum sound loud enough to move the ornaments on the mantelpiece or the wistful "Return" where lead vocalist Bear Rinehart gustily intones images of the Prodigal, this is finely crafted pop rock. The album has a little more of a Southern rock feel than their Brit produced debut 'Daylight' but the band retain their ability to create radio friendly hooks and lyrics which bring home their spiritual themes without evangelical cliché. Particular standouts are the surgingly anthemic "Streets Of Gold", the semi-acoustic "More Time" - a song about patience with lyrics forged in the crucible of hopes and dreams of the band's dues paying years - and "Signature Of Divine", a praise and worship song which is a major hit on US Christian radio. On the album's closer "Second Chances" there's the unexpected entrance of a pump organ while elsewhere a bit of artfully played keyboards or a touch of bluesy slide guitar give the album a broad palate of musical textures. All in all, the tracks here represent a varied musical feast brim full of lyrical and musical intelligence.

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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