Reviewed by Paul Poulton

The album opens with the title track, a song of breadth and elegant charm. What gives the song its stark late evening beauty is hard to nail down without making its art into science. The gentle soft-round-the-edges female backing vocals help, Chuck's plaintive melodic vocals, echoes of Eric Carmen's "All By Myself", and the wide airy instrumentation all help. But it's probably the song's message: the way it pulls back the curtain on heaven and lets us glimpse inside that makes the song so engaging. The Jesus Music veteran, still occasionally eulogised for his work with Love Song, isn't prolific with his solo albums but they do span several epochs of music and Chuck still retains a youthful quality to his singing he once showed on the boyish lead vocals of The Hondells '60s hit "Little Honda". Also in the opening song's favour is the modern feel it has, excepting the lead guitar that flits around now and again. The first track moves seamlessly into the second track, "Enter In" and again the song invites us to step inside and look around the throne room of the Father. And so it goes with the rest of the 13 songs. Lilting yet arresting, restful yet engaging and worshipful yet challenging there is some magic being weaved here, and while you may easily be able to resist it if you are in the wrong mood, if you yield to 'Evening Shadows' spell, the album is truly rewarding.

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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Chuck Girard was part of the seventies legendary gospel rock group Love Song, who started as a worship band during the Saturday evening meetings at Calvary Chapel. Soon the ‘Jesus Music’ group became one of the most requested bands in the USA and they even reached the top of the charts with their ‘praise songs’.

In 1974 Love Song ended and Chuck started as solo artist. He wrote, among others, the great song Sometimes Alleluia, which for many years was the theme song of Jimmy Swaggert’s TV shows.

Evening Shadows is Chuck’s 10th solo album, which was recorded live. The songs were inspired through moments of personal worship. A special performance on this album is from his daughter Alisa, former member of Zoegirl.