Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Somehow I wasn't prepared for the full on funk rock of the opener "Carry Me". Its excellence startled me. Startled? Maybe it's because West Yorkshire-based Stuart is a solo songsmith not a band. Or maybe I was surprised because too often I've heard rock bands lamely trying to be funk or funk bands tamely trying to graft on rock guitars to their groove. But here the fusion worked perfectly while the lyrics, with such everyday language lines as "My life was beat up pretty bad but then you came today" works well too. There's other good stuff here also including a new version of "You're The One" which with more bite in the guitars is much better than the version he put out as a single, and "Jesus Is In The Street" which has a nice relaxed funk groove and some vocoder effects. All in all this is, by some way, the best thing Stuart has ever recorded and way better than some of the dross the Christian labels put out. A grassroots talent indeed.

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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