Reviewed by Tom Lennie

Michael Marcus can probably claim to be the UK's most northerly Christian music artist! Hailing from Westray, one of Orkney's north isles, Mike and band deliver an impressive and tightly-knit live set - he's also popular at church events and in prison ministry throughout Scotland, 'Road Of Life', again a studio recording, is a musical progression from his 'There Is..' release a couple of years back and comes with an eclectic mix of various musical styles. All 14 tracks (running at over one hour total) are original compositions and include a stirring Celtic-flavoured instrumental, some chunky country rock ("Go The Distance" and the title cut), a touch of ambient soul/funk ("Castle In The Sand", "Father's Heart") and a beautifully simple moment of acoustic worship ("Thankyou"). A string quartet add atmosphere to the reflective "The Final Curtain"' while the rich, infectious chorus to "Calling Me Back" comes care of a nine-piece choir. Though lyrics tend not to have poetic flourish, they are God-centred and the instrumentation throughout is excellent. This is an ambitious and carefully recorded output and a welcome addition to Scotland's Christian music scene.

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