Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

Julie Hamilton has had albums out in the past and received her share of praise for her grassroots endeavours. Now she's teamed up with another gifted lass, Helen Buckle, and as Streetwise turn in an engaging album. This generous 49 minutes' worth of CD was co-produced by Julie and Helen (who wrote all the songs), and Paul May of Rock Solid Studios Walsall: not only that the talented Mr M plays all the instrumentals too! Having such an experienced muso on board has its benefits, as the instruments are good and solid, and perfectly mixed, allowing the girls' strong voices to have free reign. Julie and Helen's material is lyrically directed God-wards, and Paul's treatment of the songs such a distinct style, so there's no chance of dull samey sounds. F'rinstance, "I Won't Let Go" has a reggae-meets-ska swing to it with sampled horns over a cooking bass riff, "Song Of Love" has an assortment of drums and percussion giving an African feel, and "Lord I See My Heart" has a choppy rock beat with a wailing lead guitar. This album doesn't have the gloss of a big-buck production, but that's no bad thing; good honest endeavour always beats arty-smartiness in my book. Send for this and give the girls some encouragement

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