Reviewed by Tim Walker

Selling copies of his debut long-player by the truckload at last year's Greenbelt; contributing one of the strongest songs on the 'Pray For The World' compilation; getting interviewed by Guitarist magazine... Yes, Iain's certainly had the kind of 18 months most Christian musos would cross oceans for, and I reckon few deserve it as much. This CD single couples two songs from 'Playing Dead' ("Wishing" and "Something From Nothing") with another pair taped live at GB94 ("The Breeze" and a cover of John Martyn's "May You Never"). On the studio songs, the Reid/lrvine/Butler triumvirate thankfully keep the production functional; Archer's a fine guitarist, in the Martyn/Nick Drake mould, and the sparse backing gives his playing some welcome breathing space. Paradoxically, the sound's a little "clean" for my taste, which is where the live tracks score, being stripped right down to guitar and voice. Anyone who covers a John Martyn song immediately goes into my "excellent taste" book, and on the evidence of this CD as a whole I'd say the entry of 'Playing Dead' into my CD collection is long overdue. In short, singer/songwriter fans should check lain out without delay.

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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