Reviewed by Paul S Ganney

The Texas-based collective are now no more, of course, but clearly decided on this final release that they would go out with a bang with this two CD set. CD 1 opens with some downbeat piano yet uplifting vocals. The "goth elements" I'd heard about turned out to be more "Gothic" than "1980s", and related more to some of the vocal chants in the background. Unless you've been hiding for the last twelve years (or are new to the scene) you'll know the eclectic nature of Crowder and friends. Suffice to say that the intricate arpeggio-derived musical patterns of "Come Find Me", the driving guitars of "Let Me Feel You Shine", the "grabs you and pulls you in" of "Blessedness Of Everlasting Light', the genius of "The Sequence", the worship of "There Is A Sound" and the uplifting joy of "A Return" all show that this is a band leaving at the top of their game. Subtitled 'A Requiem Mass In C (The Happiest Of All Keys)' the lyrics tend towards the liturgical (especially "God Have Mercy") although I can't see many church choirs managing to tackle them successfully. The songs therefore follow a well-defined route thematically, but always with the underlying truth: no matter how close to the edge we may sail (and even over it) God can bring us back. The cover of Kris Kristofferson's "Why Me?" sits okay here, but isn't really as good as the one Cliff Richard once put on his 'Small Corners' album. "The Sequence" is just superb, comprising seven short tracks of which the Muse-like 1, 2 and 5 are brilliant. If the whole album just consisted of these seven tracks it'd be 10 out of 10, no problem. The others are very good, but just don't quite live up to this standard with a couple of lone acoustic numbers particularly to blame. CD 2 kicks off in joyful style, the country-rock tinged "I Am A Seed" setting the tone that continues to the end, only dropping slightly for the final track. Brilliant. It's a shame there's no more to come from this band but at least they've finished with a flourish.

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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