Reviewed by A T Bradford

Evan is the son of established worship leaders and older brother to successful INO Records artist Phil Wickham. Last year Evan ministered at Cornwall's Creation Fest and impressed many with his worship anthems every bit as powerful as his brother's. This 2009 album's opener "Now Unto The One" combines shimmering synthesiser with precise keys that sparkle like raindrops in the spring sunshine, bringing the truth that Jesus is "Strong to deliver every broken heart to his kingdom of love." Track three, "Glorious", is fittingly adorned with expert drums and percussion courtesy of Brandon Lozano, and there is truly poetic content in "Speak To Me" - "You spoke a word, the universe awoke in brilliant light, and gracefully, galaxies adorned the ancient night." The standout lyric highlight is surely "Love Has A Name" - "What have we done, we stopped before the race was won, I know I'm not the only one, wondering. When did we become, the very thing we're running from, consume it all and leave a crumb for offering." Brilliant - as is the reflection, "When life's the question, love's the answer". Wickham's guitar and synthesiser are punctuated by a level of Scriptural maturity all too often lacking in today's marketplace, the only production gripe being frequent mike-too-close-to-the-mouth breath-sounds. If 'Above The Sky' is anything to go by, there will be a lot more theological and musical resonance in the years to come from this hugely talented Californian.

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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