Reviewed by Matthew Cordle

When publicity material that comes with a CD contains such language as "soon-to-be-classic" I have to admit to a wry chuckle and the urge to pray for deliverance for us all from the world of marketing! Freeslave is the now solo artist Haydon Spenceley, down from the five-piece band of previous years. Having said that, from the website it looks as if more musicians have joined since this was released in October 2005. You may remember Tony Cummings' interview with Haydon two or three years ago where they discussed the fact that Haydon is quite rare as the front man for a band as he is a cerebral palsy sufferer in a wheelchair. 21 year-old Haydon has been performing as Freeslave for three years now, "singing honest songs of hope, suffering, joy and despair that make this life we live so varied and exciting, infusing elements of a life lived on the seat of his pants with the hope he's found in the gospel". The single is quite a catchy celebration of God's love exploding in his life and the response of giving one's life to him. Musically quite open in style, it sounds quite "indie" in style. Strangely enough, unlike other reviews I have seen of the CD, my favourite track of the three is "Road Less Travelled", although it is not perhaps as radio friendly as the title track. Overall, some strong guitar playing adds a lot of impetus to the music, but every now and then you catch glimpses of the limitations of Haydon's voice - I suspect a better microphone would add more body to his sound as it sounds a little thin at times. Everyone seems to "sound like Coldplay" at the moment, so I don't really want to use them as a comparison, but there are definitely stylistic references here, particularly in the guitars. The full album is due in the summer, and Freeslave is touring this year so check the website if you want some information.

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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