Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

New Zealand singer/songwriter Strahan Coleman's third album is a contemplative affair with the man's poetic and psalm-like lyrics being placed on top of a placid bed of straightforward acoustic guitar and dampened piano and delivered with his trademark plaintive vocal delivery. Cases in point include consecutive numbers "Stay", "Here" and "Holding On" - all of which communicate Strahan's reliance on God with introspective sincerity whilst the up-close nature of the man's guitar and vocals makes for an intimate listening experience which comes across best when wearing headphones. Production-wise, there are a few detracting and distracting niggles ranging from Strahan's finger-picked guitar sounding very muffled at points (almost as if the microphone is in the wrong position) to the man's vocals becoming unintelligible in the quieter moments. Also, on the likes of the tender "Be Your Sign", it sounds like a rogue fader has been left up - someone can be heard shuffling around, flicking through papers and generally clunking about in the background! Now that should really have been spotted before release! Nonetheless, something very special happens when Strahan enters the higher end of his vocal spectrum and moments like these - along with the obvious calibre of his songs - nearly compensate for any sonic imperfections. The occasional upbeat number like the full-throated "Oh My Love" brings some needed variety to proceedings whilst fleeting backing vocal cameos from John Mark McMillan and Josh Garrels on "The Streets" and the aforementioned "Be Your Sign" respectively help add kudos.

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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