Reviewed by Lisa Matthews

For a musical to work, you need to be able to listen to it and for it to transport you to the scene. For the most part, 'Damaascus Road' does not do this. There are two main problems. It lacks passion/ emotion in the actual singing and it also manages to sound oh, so familiar. Whatever one may think of them on theological grounds of 'J.C.S.S.' and 'Godspell' did manage to grab the attention of the audience. This however is in great danger of sounding like a church youth group's annual contribution for the church fete, full of cringingly weak vocals, banal melodies and forgettable arrangements. This is a great pity as the whole concept is a good idea. Best vocalist by far is part-producer/composer Paul Douglas but he can't save it. Kept within the confines of a local church entertainment 'Damascus Road' might have proven passable entertainment as well as a vehicle to proclaim Christ. Put on tape and offered for sale its deficiencies become all too obvious.

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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