Reviewed by Rhiannon Graham

'Bloom' is American Catholic artist Sarah Kroger's second full-length album, but her first released with Christian music giant Integrity. Kroger skilfully proclaims her love of God and by doing so connects with listeners as they experience her emotive and powerful voice. The first half of the album rather suffers from a similarity of tempo. The radiating high piano notes at the beginning of "For Us" eases into Sarah's soprano voice which subtly "blooms" to listeners while the bridge features snippets of synth hinting at its use in later tracks before stripping back to the polished piano accompaniment heard in the song's intro. "Pieces" features Audrey Assad, who is the producer of the album, singing harmonies whilst the decision to leave in background studio noises, such as the piano pedal being pressed, all adds to the organic sound of the album. The passion in the voices of both singers shines through as a result, building to the song's key message that "you don't give your heart in pieces" before reverting back to the same raw feel heard at the start. This leaves its listeners wanting more, and more is certainly what the listener is provided with in the next standout track, "When I See You". Co-written with Audrey Assad in 2016 the song reaches a powerful crescendo not just within the track itself but within the whole album. The last track is a live version of this same song. Despite having another lengthy playing time ("Wildflower" lasts for over seven minutes) it showcases the awe-inspiring voice of an impressive new talent. If you are a fan of Tori Kelly let me assure you that Sarah shows the same kind of interpretive phrasing and soul which has taken Tori to the upper echelons.

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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