Reviewed by Simon Eden

When West Midlands-based NlighteN describe themselves as a Christian worship band with a similar sound to Coldplay, what they actually mean is that sound almost identical to Coldplay. With lyrical melody lines fluctuating to the heights of falsetto, the similarity to Chris Martin is clear. Even the sparkling guitar lines and incidental instrumentation is similar. The fact that an independent band have managed to record a four track EP that could be mistaken for Coldplay has to be to their credit, and bodes well for greater success. NlighteN consist of three brothers, Chris (the creative genius, according to their limited but excellent website), Tim (a worship leader at 16) and David Barton (the baby of the family on bass), joined by Sarah Burrows (keyboards), who formed to lead worship at their church in the West Midlands. They have been together for two years in fluctuating forms often with a fifth member. Having written four tracks all worthy of mainstream airplay, there is a fifth hidden track that isn't worth waiting for. It is a short-lived keyboard experiment suitable for meditation. The band states their aim as being to help strengthen Christians in their belief and experience of God. They may be well placed to do much on the evangelism front in providing quality accessible songs.

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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