Reviewed by Tim Holden

Mark is a critically acclaimed songsmith from Arlington, Texas and here delivers an album which shows a lot of life experience and is presented here in a very polished pop country format. Each song tells a story; whether the joy of salvation on "You Opened My Eyes", or the feelings when remembering loved ones on "Missing You". With well-crafted songs like these it's easy to see why Mark's music has won so many songwriting competitions. The arrangements are based round Mark's guitar but are beautifully filled out with understated synths and the staples of country music - banjo, fiddle and mandolin - but never to excess and always adding to the feeling and emotion of the track. The vocals are rich and smooth and deliver the deep lyrics with style and conviction adding to the powerful spiritual message and as perfectly at home with the uptempo numbers as well as the slower ones. If you want one of the best country-orientated albums of the year, here's one to search out.

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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