STYLE: Pop RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 135111-20106 LABEL: Independent FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1
Reviewed by Tony Cummings
Helen released this album in 2007 and a pretty impressive debut it was too. Helen is a mother and was, maybe still is, a member of Romford Elim Church and engineer/producer Paul Higgs ably demonstrates that you don't need a big budget or access to top session musicians to deliver an enjoyable album as long as you've got goodish songs and a singer skilled enough to deliver them. In fact, the opening track "Meets You Where You Are" with its less-is-more accompaniment consisting of little more than rhythm guitar is positively infectious. And the funky remix closer of the same song works well too. Helen is able to sing her compositions ranging from R&B-tinged foot-tappers to simply arranged ballads with equal assurance while one Shakeel Yousaf adds greatly to the soulful duet "May My Worship Touch You Lord". Helen's most adventurous lyric is "Topsy Turvy" where she examines some of the paradoxes of faith ("In this upside down Kingdom/This topsy turvy extraordinary life") and even when the lyric is a simplistic praise-up as on "One Less Stone" the sense of joy and passion never wains.
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