Reviewed by Ian Hayter

It's five years since Crossbeam's last album (2007's 'A Time For Everything') and this, their fourth outing, is full of catchy hooks and singable melodies. The line-up of the band has changed alarmingly frequently over the years (the current drummer, the young Tom Burgess, probably feels the same sense of anxiety that Spinal Tap's drummers must have felt!). Like their previous albums, this is an independent production, recorded in and around Romsey, the Hampshire town where they played their first concert, and shows a good deal of maturity. The vocals of Tom Bonard are strong and clear and there's some great playing by both Steve Szymanski on guitar and Phil Le Cheminant on keyboards. The songs have a powerful praise element to them, but there are also plenty of challenges amongst the articulate and well-honed lyrics. It's a well-arranged, rocky set, with memorably melodic music. Standout tracks are the opening "Awake" and the worshipful "I Bow Down".

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