Reviewed by Matthew Cordle

No Limits are a nine-piece band based in London. Since being formed in 1989 they seem to have done the live circuit pretty thoroughly (including Greenbelt in 1992) and now they're on a CD near you! They are a talented bunch of people with obvious songwriting ability developing, eight of the 10 songs being penned by band members. Their lyrics are very personal, either in the form of prayers or telling personal experiences of God. Musically the main flavour is gospel, but there are many influences. Little bits of jazz and bluesy material here and there (with a remarkable George Benson-like guitar feel on a couple of tracks), reggae on "Selah", "Teach Me Your Ways" which could almost be by Take That (no offence intended guys!) and one of the vocalists, Samantha Rigg, sounding uncannily like Nanette Welmans. The two songs which standout to me are "Here To Stay", a mellow summer sounding song about the security of God's love for us, and "I Surrender", an inspiring prayer of dedication. My main concern is that the lack of a producer has meant that sometimes the sense of direction is lost and it starts to ramble. As a criticism I would suggest that the sequenced parts are much too rigid so they don't really groove as they could do, however when played live that wouldn't be a problem. Technically, the drums could be more full sounding and the vocal harmonies tracked to give a slightly warmer sound. Overall, a very promising CD which grows on you the more you listen. Watch this space - I hope there's more to come.

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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