Reviewed by Dave Brassington

Back in the '70s Karen was one of the key figures in the revival in the US which came to be known as the Jesus Revolution, right up there with the likes of Barry McGuire, The Second Chapter Of Acts and Andrae Crouch. This is a CD re-issue of Karen's 1976 album. Karen wrote most of the songs and she also says in her sleevenotes that they were written at a difficult time of her life. The title track is far and away the best song on the album making us all too aware that our efforts in the Christian life are all to no avail if we are not firmly in the right place with our God. I suppose to a modern ear this album might seem a bit bland but what you have to remember is that when it was recorded Christian music was trapped in an enclave of unoriginality, stereo typed orchestral arrangements of traditional hymns which meant that Christian music artists were kept in a sort of musical cul-de-sac. The west coast acoustic pop sounds here seemed truly radical to the Church at the time. Possessed of a sweet toned voice, Karen's ability to communicate her passion for Jesus still comes through. Other notable tracks are the opener "Like A Morning Star", "Beautiful Day" and "Kingdom Come". There is a famous old pop song "Memories Are Made Of This", which truly sums up this fine re-issue.

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