Reviewed by Ben Lancaster

They say that first impressions are the most important, and 'Up From The River' was my introduction to Robert Coates. Colour me impressed! The sleeve is not exactly inviting; it has unoriginal singer/songwriter written all over it, but let me tell you that this most definitely is not the case. The album features acclaimed musicians Kendal Kramer (drums) and Rich Mock (lead guitar) lending their gifts to earn this a place in any CCM lover's collection. 'Up From The River' encompasses a variety of styles, from the driving rock guitars of 'Open My Heart Up' to the melodic piano of the instrumental 'Celtic Dream'. Admittedly, one or two tracks border on cliche, but an album with nothing but great tracks is incredibly hard to come by. Anything with musical originality and lyrics to match is, in my opinion, a good buy; this makes the grade.

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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