Reviewed by Ian Hayter

First, the gripes. The cover, with its soft focus violin, piano and flowers, seems to announce something along the lines of sanctified Mantovani (Mains' inside photo is a dead ringer for Peter Mandelson!). The sleevenotes talk of "Rolin's unique blend of solo piano, orchestra and rhythmic themes," then tells us that the album is "in a style similar to John Tesh and Dave Grusin" - either it's unique or it's not. And is there some kind of quota system operating in the American recording industry which lays down that every other disc must feature "Amazing Grace"? I must admit I was expecting another 50 minutes of Christian lift muzak when this album arrived - and the first couple of minutes seemed to confirm my suspicions. But it soon became obvious that this is very different from the usual soulless revamps of traditional hymns. Here is an album with four original compositions amongst its 11 tracks, and seven arrangements of familiar songs, played by a piano, solo instruments and orchestra (the ubiquitous Nashville String Machine). They're used to great effect and the rhythmic and tonal innovations really draw the listener into the music, and the overall effect is sometimes stunning. For me, the weakest tracks were "Amazing Grace" and "The Lord's Prayer", but Mains' own compositions (especially the title track and "Gigue") really stand out. It's more like Richard Rodney Bennett or John McLaughlin's orchestral work than Grusin and well worth checking out.

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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