Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

According to the sleevenotes, the debut album from Weymouth worship leader Vicki Hulbert was recorded in a cold echoey church one December afternoon and is therefore very much a homemade affair. Assuming only a minimal budget was available, the occasional intonation and audio imperfections are forgivable and almost add to the charm of what is an honest and surprisingly high quality release. With the exception of a couple of added guitar contributions from friends Tim Upton and Shaun Hatton, Hulbert solely accompanies herself on piano and guitar and passionately delivers nine intimate and personal songs of devotion that were borne out of a recent battle against breast cancer. In particular, songs such as "Renewed" and "Keep Me" tell candidly of Hulbert's relationship with God in the midst of the pain, uncertainty and fear of her situation and will no doubt be an encouragement to fellow sufferers. Whilst her material lacks a degree of variety and the songs are arguably a bit on the long side, there is plenty of potential on offer and it would be fascinating to see what Hulbert could do in a proper studio with a professional production team at the helm.

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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