Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Derbyshire singer/songwriter Hannah describes her free download EP as "an eclectic mix with a strong spiritual theme" and proceedings get off to a relatively strong start with the string-laden "Trust The Maker" which sees Howe set the scene for a collection of God-focused songs. Unfortunately, the standard set in this release's opener is not maintained with many of the remaining tracks sounding like unmixed demos. In addition, Howe's vocals are hidden low in the mix making it difficult for the undoubtedly God-centred lyrics to shine through. Vocally, the likes of "Rescue Me" and the aforementioned "Trust The Maker" see Howe give her strongest performances but more consistency and confidence is needed elsewhere to make best use of her potentially distinctive voice. Whilst Howe certainly succeeds in eclectically giving us a number of different musical styles - for instance, heavy rock in "You Are Not Alone" and synth-tinged pop in "Rescue Me" - simplistic songs such as "Given Me A Reason" and "I'm In Awe" come across as musically and lyrically under-developed and suggest that, coupled with an improvement in production standards, Howe perhaps needs to hone her work going forward.

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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