Reviewed by Mandy Hoye

Responding to the big success of the "Sarah Masen' album. Ark Productions, [he outfit run by keyboard maestro Jeff Johnson, have made available her hard to find debut release. Produced by Johnson and The Choir's Derry Duugherty. it's another slice of moodily haunting art pop and well worth searching out. Sarah's voice has crystal clarity and the lyrics arc refreshingly honest, obviously based on a real relationship with God. Many of the songs on the album arc centred on the theme of God's grace and how we owe our lives to Jesus. A couple of times, just listening through it. God spoke to me and challenged me. One particular song was the album's title track. "The Holding", which speaks of how God takes our humanncss. all the mistakes we make and still manages to use us in his plans. I don't imagine it's to everyone's taste musically, as the majority of the tracks are slow in tempo, with a slight lona-ish feel. And the material are not really the type of songs you sing in the shower. But if you're mad on thai haunting voice and like the thought of more intelligent, literate songs, write to New Dawn Management.

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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