Reviewed by Tim Holden

It has been 14 years since Cliff has released an album of new material so 'Rise Up' has a lot of ground to cover. Unsurprisingly, Cliff has taken a look at the traumatic recent events in his life and has teamed up with past songwriters, notably Terry Britten ("Devil Woman") on the opening reggae feel of "Rise Up" and Chris Eaton ("Saviour's Day") for the wonderful "Reborn" - though the synth opening seems out of place with the rest of the track. There is swing, '80s synth pop, ballads, duets (Oliva Newton-John) and the obligatory Christmas song ("The Miracle Of Love") before closing out with four re-workings of older songs using the original vocals but a new recording with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - "The Minute You're Gone", "Miss You Nights", "Devil Woman" and "Some People". Unfortunately it is possible to hear the amount of work that has gone in to cover the effects of age and the stress the last few years have had on Cliff's vocals - yet they still sound better than a lot of current artists. A solid album that shows that after 60 years Cliff can still hold his own.

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