Reviewed by Sam Hargreaves

This retrospective spans the band's history, from a sound check in 1980 up to tracks from the 'Speckled Bird' release of '94. Mellow is the key word, laid back love songs and prayers (surprisingly enough), in a style not a million miles from U2. I was particularly touched by a number of the 17 tracks: "Car Etc", with its lyric, "It's not a black heart where I feel/Washed in blood each time I kneel"; "So Far Away"; "Merciful Eyes" and "A Sentimental Song". The quality of the songwriting progresses through the album and the lyrics are consistently good. The only real gripe is the smart blue cardboard case, which everyone seems to like aesthetically, is too big for my CD rack! (Perhaps a ploy to make you play it all the time!)

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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