Reviewed by Karl Allison

Here is an album that takes its place alongside recent releases from Eden Burning and Sammy Horner in the current revival of Christian folk/Celtic music. It is also an overdue release from a talented singer/songwriter. This is not some laid-back folkie meandering through a set of similar sounding songs which all explore his relationship with mother earth. In Jonathan Day, the Christian folk scene is blessed with someone capable of dealing with a variety of subjects in a variety of styles. Anyone who can sing lyrics such as "Babylon Has Fallen" in a style that approaches a full-blown jig has certainly got something special! Jonathan's vocal performance is both powerful and moving. The instru­mentation features such delights as mandola, viola, bodhran and MacLeod pipechanter. Throughout the variety of songs, the rich and melodic backing is a con­stant source of joy while special guests include lona's Joanne Hogg (her vocal on the haunting "Callanish" is breathtaking) and Eden Burning's mandolin wizard Neill Forrest. Curiously, for an album by such an adept songwriter it's two tracks that Jonathan didn't write which stand out. The first is a revival of "Barti-maeus", a song whose composer is unknown but which I recall being sung years ago by Ishmael. This version is vastly superior however, capturing the true tension of the story. The other stand out track is "The Cross", written by (believe it or not) Prince. Whatever possessed Prince to write it can only be guessed at, but Jonathan has certainly redeemed the song in a most compelling way. The track must be heard for the startling vocal performances of guest Tracey Riggan and Jonathan himself

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