Reviewed by Tom Lennie

Pete is a music teacher at a secondary school in Manchester, where he deeply values the opportunity of inspiring youngsters through the powerful medium of music. A worship leader for over a decade in a local church called The Lighthouse, this, his debut release, is a batch of 12 songs which reveals both the strong musical talent and the deep spiritual passion that drives this guy. Not only did Pete compose all the songs that constitute this set, he also produced the album and provided virtually all the musical instrumentation that accompanies his own singing, as well as backing vocals. Exceptions are the string accompaniment on a couple of tracks, which come from the talented Alex Robertson, who has several solo violin recordings to his own name, and the driving percussion on the edgy "Make A Difference" (care of M Riley). Most songs are in the pop rock category, though there's a couple of quieter moments, such as the tender acoustic "Presence", and the soft pop shuffle, "Through The Valley" (with its intriguing background sounds). The latter, like several other songs on the album hints at God's ability to turn seemingly impossible situations into opportunities to display his faithfulness. There's plenty of musical variety throughout the set - including choral backing on the anthemic "No Other Name". It all makes for an appealing listen, all the more impressive given that it was created almost single-handedly.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.