Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Being Joan is the nom-de-disc of Scottish singer/songwriter Joan Piacentini and 'Why So High' is her second independently released album. The attention grabbing opener "Come To Set Me Free" recently received airplay on Cross Rhythms and comes complete with a delicious sampled trumpet break. Charting the journey of the one woman recording artist from a sinful past to redemption in Christ, it sets the scene for an album of frank views on this world and an unswerving certainty that Christ is the answer and Piacentini refuses to pull any punches when tackling thorny topics such as modern day debauchery in the title track, personal persecution ("Sticks 'N' Stones") and the devil ("Expose Him"). Set to a backdrop of cleverly assembled samples, Piacentini references a range of music styles from the laid back funk of "Picking Up The Pieces" and techno ("Nothing To Show") to the minimalist electronica of "Hear Your Cries" to keep proceedings refreshingly varied. Add to that the force that is Piacentini's formidable voice and you have a release that will not only entertain but challenge the world view of believer and non-believer alike.

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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