Reviewed by Tony May

An absorbing concept album, with a set of songs many of which are concerned with the experiences of life's difficult seasons. Tough yet tender, gut level songs of peoples' struggles with assorted ills, with lyrics such as those of "Bruised Reed", "I'll Meet You There" and "At My Father's Door" presenting a no-nonsense, totally realistic approach to it all. I really do enjoy this New Zealand artist's vocal style, it's that sort of tense, direct, gritty approach that holds the attention and rams home the message so effectively. Neil White doesn't waste time on non-essentials, musically and lyrically he gets straight to the point without compromise. "To Be Or Not To Be" handles the abortion issue sensitively and there's a nicely crunchy version of the Michael Bean song "I Still Believe", comparable to Russ Taff's fine version. Some good work with stacks of commitment gone into the tape which lives on the rockier side of pop.

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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