Reviewed by George Luke

Although many of the diehard dancehall fans I've spoken to have found this a tad wanting compared to his previous work, the majority of gospel/CCM fans should find the debut gospel album from Cleve Laing (aka Stitchie, formerly Lieutenant Stitchie) quite enjoyable. As far as Reggae albums go, it's certainly very diverse. Songs like "Shopping", "War" and "Call Pon Him" are the straight-up ragga tunes he's known and loved for, whilst "Thank You For Today" shows a more mellow side. A big surprise is the closing track - a cover of the classic hymn "Softly And Tenderly". All in all a good album - but it's when you put the CD into your computer (for those who buy it on CD) that the real fun begins. There's a video clip of him and his band performing "War", promotional snippets from Christafari's latest offering (Stitchie's signed to their label), and the song lyrics can be made to scroll along the screen as the CD plays (plain English "translations" of the Jamaican Patois lyrics are also provided, for those having problems keeping up). If that wasn't enough, there's the Bible in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese! However (and here's the rub, as they say in America), some bright spark decided that all these goodies should only be available to Primitive Computer users. As a devoted Mac-phile, I resent being marginalised just because I've opted for the superior operating system - so I'm deducting a square from what should have been a seven-square album.

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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