Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

At the intersection of jazz and soul, this British independent artist has crafted a gorgeous creative album built around his strong composing and keyboard playing. Considering the huge guest list of contributing musicians and the variety of vocalists adding their chops to the recording, the album is beautifully coherent and more inspirational than the majority of mushy music that normally bears that genre's name. It's an album that is also packed with highlights. I love the two versions of the title cut, featuring singer Denise Gordon, and then there's the beautiful soulfulness of "Uncertain Times". In fact, there is a blissed out soul that permeates every chord recorded here from the instrumental "Wasted Years" to the relationship turning point of "My Life" where singer Merle Kenton Forbes is breaking up and getting on with her life! The album isn't straight forward gospel as Mckenzie prefers to let his message drip feed through the whole album and songs become more like soulful prayers for help and emotional observations all wrapped up in a pure gold soulful jazz that bathes the listener. If you seek accomplished musicians and great performances, this is 'The Road Ahead'.

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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