Reviewed by Dave Brassington

Released to great acclaim and success in the States (top 20 pop) this album has Dolly doing what she does best, writing, singing and performing good country music. On most of these tracks she has many of the top singers of modern country music. The only exception is the duet with Billy Boy Cyrus, "Romeo", which is only a fun song. What really strikes you is how 'spiritual' most of the tracks are, quite apart from the closing gospel belter "High And Mighty". Other subjects include child abuse ("What Will Baby Be") and the deeper meaning of love. It's a long time since the delightful Dolly did a full gospel album, but all I can say is that most of these fine original songs make more sense from a Christian point of view than many blander gospel albums. A top class album in anyone's books, even if country is not normally your diet, as underneath all the glamour of showbiz you have here one of country music's real superstars nailing her thoughts to the mast without wanting to jump on any evangelical bandwagon

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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