Reviewed by Steve Stockman

Rick Elias's early '90s album "Confessions" was a great Christian album in a pretty bland bunch, back then. After his second 'Ten Stories' he disappeared before reappearing as a Ragamuffin with Rich Mullins and then more recently as a writer for Tom Hanks' moving That Thing You Do and producer of Split Level's 'glo.bal'. "Blink" is a kind of work in progress, released privately as tour product but, oh how good it is. In the first few songs, especially "Blink" and "I Need A Hole". Elias sounds like Karl Wallinger and I guess if his Tom Hanks contributions were early '60s Beatles then this is post Sgt Pepper. The tenderness of "If You Believed" is so delicate, the yearning of "Prayer Of The Saints" aches, the rock in "God Inc" is resistant and "Man Of Reputation" is as good a portrait of Jesus that any harmonica driven song ever was. If this is just a gap filler I can't wait for the real thing.

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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