Reviewed by Tom Lennie

Rob is a true veteran of Britain's Christian music scene, having been working full time in this field for over 25 years. He's also led worship at events like Spring Harvest, has toured extensively in the UK as well as, eg, Poland. On top of all this, Rob also holds teaching seminars in worship and is popular for his ministry in schools of all types. Still, to perhaps a whole generation of Christian music lovers his name is far from being "household". This EP consists of four pieces taken from Rob's multi-media presentation 'The Story', which blends song, spoken word and visual images to convey a Christian perspective on life, suffering, redemption and faith. The second track contains some verses from John's gospel spoken over a pleasant piece of inspirational music. The other three tracks are all self-penned and carry very catchy tunes. "Peace In Our Time" is perhaps the poppiest; and features Cathy Burton on bvs. "Hope Of The World" flows to piano backing from Andy Harsant, while "In These Days" gets more of a rock edge through Dan Wheeler's guitars. Each contains thought-provoking lyrics and Newey's vocals - comparable, perhaps to those of US folkster Fred Haring - is effective. All in all, a fine introduction to what appears a powerful multi-media project.

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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