Reviewed by Tony Cummings

A 15 minutes 8 seconds medley consisting of "I Shall Not Be Moved", "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" and "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" is a most unappealing start to an album, particularly when producer K Farquharson is content to create accompaniments that are slow, ponderous and seldom show any of the rhythmic spark which makes reggae such a delicious listening experience. It doesn't get any better later on either. More medleys follow and each is given a cheap and cheerful sound making one wonder whether the credited "Chalk Farm Studios" is actually Mr Farquharson's bedroom. Now don't get me wrong. Ken Parker is one of the great reggae gospel exponents and some of his JA-recordings are gems. But unless you want pedestrian renditions of "Peace In The Valley", "I'll Fly Away" and a lot more oldies, you'll find that Ken's creamy, soulful tenor can do little with these over-reverential reggae renditions of the hymnbook.

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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