Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

When Michael W Smith set up Rocketown Records, Chris Rice was one of the first to be signed, and Smitty's judgment was backed up when 'Deep Enough To Dream' became one of the best selling debut albums of 1997, picking up six Dove Award nominations on the way, as well as putting Mr Rice firmly in the CCM spotlight. Fame, it seems, has not gone to Chris' head, since he has backed up his solid start with this classy offering of hook-filled, melodic, radio-friendly pop, writing nine of the songs himself, and co-writing the 10th. To back up this composing talent, producer Monroe Jones has roped in a bunch of accomplished musicians and singers, including fellow roster members Micah and Lori Wilshire; the result is tight arrangements that don't swamp Chris's mainly acoustic composing style. My fave trax at the moment: the anthemic "And Your Praise Goes On", which evokes strong memories of "I'll Lead You Home" (I'm sure that Smitty would approve), and the very danceable opening track "Smellin' Coffee", inspired (I kid you not) by Lamentations 3:23. The underlying theme of the whole thing revolves around the everyday struggles of life, and throughout the album Chris's faith shines through. Recommended.

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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