Reviewed by Simon Redfern

This latest solo project from Iona's lead vocalist brings a collection of 10 songs that stem from a deep and prolonged time of Joanne seeking and being hungry for a very real experience of God's presence; her hope being to impart some of that hunger through these songs. Well it certainly achieves that without a shadow of a doubt as from the outset, the lyrics reach down and are likely to grab anyone who has ever sought the God's presence. Without exception I found myself connecting to all the tracks, especially "Forgive Me", "I Was Sad In Church Today" and "Waiting" thinking "Yes, I've been there too" and "Wow, I'm so glad it's not just me"! This is a very chilled-out CD which given the title it's not wrong to expect and although touted as Celtic, the music doesn't have any distinct leaning towards the Celtic or any other direction. I have to say that despite the excellent musicianship and Joanne's wonderfully smooth vocals, I found the melodies a touch too prosaic, lacking the sparkle of Iona's best material. The strong point of this CD has to be that goose-bump-inducing voice on lyrics that can only come from such a voyage of discovery.

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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