Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Take a tablespoon of REM, mix in a splash of U2, a pinch of Radiohead and a bit of Eeels and you've got a recipe for an extremely attention-grabbing album. Basically. Kevin Clay is the latest of the serous songwriting American alternative rockers to hit these shores. You can tell this not simply by the music style but by the way Mr Clay poses artfully on the inside cover! Produced by the hugely talented Mike Knott, Clay's solo debut (he used to front My Little Dog China) isn't your nicey nicey Christian fare. T-Bone Burnett famously suggested that Christian artists could either sing about the light or what they could see from the light. This firmly falls into the second category and demands a number of listens to begin unravelling Clay's lyrical concerns. There arc brilliant moments, the violin playing on "Adam" adds atmosphere whilst elsewhere the acoustic and electric guitar attack works as a backdrop to Clay's punchy lyrical offensives. The ministries of Copeland and Hagin are challenged in one song whilst others carry titles like "Super Sucker Salvation" and "Date Rape". Clay makes more observations and asks more questions than he gives answers. The world we must remember is not a pleasant place and if you agree that the Church has to grow up. Get its head out of the sand and not contribute sugary simplistic answers, then you'll relate to this fine alternative rock album.

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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