Reviewed by Andy Cooper

This is David's fourth album, though the first to be released in the UK. He's a worship leader from Norway and has written all 10 featured songs in the English language. He could be described as the Scandinavian equivalent of Tim Hughes or Paul Oakley, his age and musical style being quite similar, though his voice sounds more like a young Michael W Smith: just a little bit nasal and slim, but pleasant enough. Having said that, the production does tend to render David a bit robotic sounding (interesting for the first song, but tiresome after four and more): I wonder what quirks have been hidden by such electronic miracles? Listening beyond that, there is nothing wrong with the songwriting: simple rather than arty (both lyrically and musically), with strong melodies making them down to earth and easy to relate to. Many contain quite personal and intimate lyrics, as with the title track, "Celebrate Your Love" and "In My Life", though the tempo and style are often more energetic and up-beat: it's pop music with an emphasis on worship, played by people with real instruments(!). That's all cool, but when comparing to the likes of Martin Smith, Chris Tomlin or Jeff Deyo, David does sound a bit vanilla: the versatility and charisma are not yet in full flavour.

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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