Reviewed by Ewan Jones

Bryan MacLean, once guitarist and songwriter with legendary Arthur Lee-led '60s rock band Love, died on Christmas day in 1998 from a heart attack. MacLlean came to faith in the desperate aftermath of Love's break-up and was discipled in the fledgling Vineyard movement. This independent album was one of Bryan's last and sees two discs worth of songs; separated into Praise (songs Bryan used in his worship leading ministry) and Worship (personal, improvised expressions of worship). It's a shame that some of these songs never got as far as becoming good studio or live recordings - the quality of the audio is the big let down here - there's that cassette-recorder-in-the-middle-of-the-room feeling to the whole project which does become hard to listen to at times. Having said that, shining through the hissing, clipping audio of these 30 plus songs is MacLean's clear, natural ability for exquisite songwriting. He has a powerful, passionate, almost operatic voice at times, that never hits a duff note. His songwriting is outstanding and there's something of surprising value in almost every one of these songs, however raw and "naked" they are. A must for fans and collectors with a bit of patience.

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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