Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Canadian singer/songwriter and motivational speaker Kelita Haverland has been in the business for some 35 years and her ninth studio sees the experienced songstress in fine form. A quick read through of Kelita's online bio tells of awful hardships in her past and this collection of country-tinged tunes certainly reflects this on account of its general downbeat and melancholy nature. For instance, the title track and the sad but hopeful "Bring Love Home" tell of troubled lives whilst the tragic love song "Unspoken Words" communicates heartbreaking regret at a relationship that's not worked out. Thankfully, Kelita's faith in God underpins proceedings and, whilst the overriding woebegone tone of this album can feel a bit all-consuming at times, tracks like the comparatively upbeat and hopeful "Reason To Sing" and "Embrace The Shift" do let some sunlight into the room. Kelita's classic country voice fits the bill perfectly for these tear-stained songs and so genuine is the singer's performance on the sublime piano-led "Trilogy" you may think she's singing about her own life and not Mary Magdalene's. Elsewhere, the beautiful "Farewell My Love" proves that Kelita can offer up as intense a delivery on stripped back numbers as she can in the more instrumentally-laden tracks.

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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