Reviewed by Paul Poulton

Try as you might not to let it happen, if you listen to ‘House Of Praise’ with an open heart it will move your soul. Not that you won't move into the cringe zone, because you will, to at least level three and on "Red White And Blue" higher. Can we truly say, "There's nothing America can't do"? I like the US and go there often, but let's not expend truth to bolster patriotism. Carman has a fair bash at making a studio album as close to a real concert as it's possible to get: praise songs designed to bridge the gap between the live concert and your CD player, the large entourage of backing singers helps. The melodies are simple, sometimes predictable but always delivered with excitement and panache. Most of the 10 tracks are new and written by Carman, the exceptions being "Just As I Am" and "I Have Decided," (which get a real good milking), and "Overcomin' Child Of God", in which the story telling dat da man is known for makes an appearance. Not a Bible story this time though but a story about a contemporary Christian's life, well, contemporary in 1982 - the song first appeared on the ‘Some-O-Dat’ LP. Joe Hogue's production is exemplary - he's also worked with dc Talk - the interactive feel he creates is close to a live album but without the extraneous sound inherent on live CDs.

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