Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

OTR have long been the darlings of Christian music trendies who are too cool to listen to any music coming out of Nashville so they love Juliet Turner, lain Archer and perhaps as a bit of a concession, Sixpence. Truth is, OTR are a fabulous band - evocative, moody, creative and for a decade they have been making brilliant music. This release is a celebration of their 10th birthday with a collection of live recordings and radio sessions culled from the band's history. The result is only meant as a series of snapshots of the journey but even here, there are glorious moments like the nine-minute "Like A Radio" (wait until you get to the guitar solo in the end section - just glorious!). If you haven't yet discovered the delights of singer Karin Bergquist's voice, she is capable of pulling out every nuance of emotion from a song's lyrics and here there are many points where she excels. The beautiful "Circle Of Quiet" or the atmospheric "I Will Remember" are all the evidence you need of this band's talents. Even their cover versions are well chosen and delivered, one Beatles and one Stones! The version of "Ruby Tuesday" gives Karin the chance to practise her English accent but it's McCartney's "Blackbird" which is even more surprising as it is given a magnificent vibey reworking that belies the original's simple acoustic mood. For an album thrown together to mark the band's birthday, there's loads here to check out and if you haven't yet done so, you need to get hold of one of their earlier albums to enjoy the full effect.

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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