Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

Anyone who knows anything about the UK Jesus Music scene of the 1970s will know the name of Rodney Cordner from Portadown, Northern Ireland. His musical roots were in the burgeoning folk music boom of the '60s, then after he got saved, he eschewed the familiar Christian music circuit and re-established himself in mainstream folk culture. Latterly he's been involved in cross-community reconciliation projects in Ireland, and he's continued to write and tour with his distinctive brand of gritty, hard-hitting roots music. He has 14 albums on his discography, and five of them from 1976 to 1991 have been raided for this 20 song compilation, 'Rodney' from 1976, 'Don't Look Away' from 1978, 'Only One Name' from 1980, and two of his collaborations with French jazz violin maestro Jean-Pierre Rudolph, 'Touch Of Irish Joy' (1989) and 'Sing For The Song' from 1990; there are also various bonus tracks and live cuts. Some of the sound quality is a bit iffy, probably as a legacy of being re-mastered from vinyl - the four songs from 'Rodney' fare rather badly - but there are some classics here, including the very Larry Norman-esque "Brainwashed", and the short but sweet "Only One Name", and the six Cordner/Rudolf tracks are a delight. If you've never had the Rodney Cordner experience, then get hold of this and have your eyes and mind opened.

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.