Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

It's been half a dozen years since we met Julie Miller on her debut release in this country. It's hard not to fall in love with that vulnerable voice and the honesty of her songwriting. Julie knows all about life hurting, having come through her own share of abuse and this collection of songs from the softer side of her repertoire is jam paced with favourites. In the beginning, it was too easy to make Cindy Lauper soundalike conclusions but then she broke out into her own musical territory with the support of her husband Buddy to record inspiring tunes. Lyrically this isn't empty rallying triumphalism but a selection of songs built on the reality of the fact that life does hurt and celebrating the fact that God walks through the walls of our lives and heals us. "Precious To God", "Broken Things", "Nobody's Child" all cry out to bestow worth on the hurting. "Dangerous Place" is a haunting song to unborn children who have been aborted - powerful in the understatement of Julie's child-like voice. 15 tunes that are powerful spiritual medicine when life hurts, the album concludes with one of the most delicate altar call songs ever recorded. It's worth buying this album just to get "How Can You Say No?" As a fan of Julie's more up songs, I'm a little disappointed that the compilers have stuck to the down tempo stuff but then in the wider purpose of things, this does hold together well.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.