Reviewed by Catherine Chung

Most people would probably associate the name BJ Thomas with the 1969 smash hit "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" from the Hollywood movie Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, but he was in fact already a superstar, with over 33 million record sales to his credit. However, the following years proved to be unfortunate ones, with Thomas being involved in a serious stabbing incident, becoming addicted to drugs, and having to drop out of his career. In 1977 he returned to his childhood faith and began singing gospel songs and his Grammy and Dove awards attest to his success. This nicely put together compilation would appeal mainly to those in their late 40s and 50s, perhaps fans of Barry Manilow or of Cliff Richard. Some of the gentle tracks sound like they could be from a '70s love story movie, or others from a Western soundtrack, with a deep-voiced male chorus. As for BJ's vocal ability, there is no doubt the man can sing and sing well. Regarding lyrical content, the songs contain spiritual truths as you would expect from hymns such as "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" and "Rock Of Ages", and are generally soothing and pleasant. The album is full of spiritual truth and encouragement, yes, but, for me, it lacked any passion or any sense of the man behind the voice. Like other albums in the Timeless Classics series, best left to aging CCM buffs who've worn out their vinyl.

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.