Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Best known as the vocalist and principal songwriter for the popular Celtic-influenced folk/rock band The Electrics, Sammy Horner provides an album full of carefully arranged Celtic instrumentation that is nearly irresistible. Horner's raspy, common voice provides an essential folk element to the simplicity of 'Acoustic Celtic Praise'. In fact, he's almost Dylanesque in his vocal tendencies. Also featured on the album is the legendary Phil Madeira joining in on accordion. "Take This Bread" is the most worshipful song on the album with the lyrics "Lamb of God my heart will thank you/Prince of peace my refuge be/In my weakness I will praise you as healing streams wash over me." The strongest track on the album, made popular by The Electrics, is "With Every Blessing". The following words are offered with encouragement to the listener: "As you make your way through this old world of ours/As you see the beauty of the morning dew/As you smell the summer flowers/As you pass away the hours/May the saints and Saviour watch over you." This traditional sounding album gives a lot of room for thought and reflection, as one ponders over Horner's careful and thought-out lyrics. The rawness of the album gives the listener the option of joining in with praise. But while all of the ingredients are here, they never come together at the same time. Instead, what we have is an album spaced-out and wandering like William Wallace through the hills of Scotland. Not that this is a bad thing. 'Acoustic Celtic Praise' is some of the best Celtic praise music in existence. Horner draws from a deep well of emotion to create an album rich in both heritage and experience. This isn't his best record, but it's still quality stuff.

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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