Reviewed by Richard Toller

Melodic guitar-driven pop, the first album by this singer/songwriter and instrumentalist from Kentucky. Josh Bates himself plays mandolin and acoustic guitar but the sound is dominated overall by electric guitars and keyboards. On first impressions it sounds like a lot of other contemporary pop/rock with nothing outstanding to grab your attention, but listen again, dig a little deeper and you hear well crafted songs of worship and devotion. Some of the titles give you the main themes of the album: songs like "King Of Glory", "There Is None Like You" and "Perfect Day" speak of the greatness of God and the hope we have in him; "Walking Through The Fire", "Less" and "Prodigal" speak of our needs and struggles in the Christian life; "Never Give Up On Me" and "You Say Come" tell us of God's love active in our lives. These are songs of grace: they don't jump out at you as being totally fresh and original but it's a good first album and I trust Josh Bates will develop his individual expression of his heart of worship.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.