Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Personnel changes can be difficult for any group, particularly by groups working in the formulaic field of Nashville Christian pop. But new Avalonians Greg Long and Milissa Greene seem to blend in very well and with the same rich harmonies as of old, this maintains the quality and will, in the US at least, maintain the radio hits. Producers Brown Bannister (Point Of Grace, Amy Grant), Charlie Peacock (Twila Paris, Audio Adrenaline) and Tedd T (Rachael Lampa, ZOEgirl) all do their stuff while the wide variety of songwriters here makes for a pleasing diversity of material. The opener “All”, co-written by Ian Eskelin, has an engaging mid-tempo lilt, “I Wanna Be You” has the kind of anthemic hook that once made Amy Grant the darling of Christian radio while the remix of “Overjoyed” shows just how soulful Janna Long’s chops are. Some may find the quasi-soul emoting on the towering climax of the ballad title track a trifle forced. But few could deny that Avalon continue to be a class act.

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.

This track data is supplied by the Cross Rhythms CD/DVD review library. Please note that CD tracks may vary according to release region or product version.