Reviewed by Matthew Cordle

Ted Jiboye is a Nigerian worship leader based in the UK and clearly has a heart for praise. The songs on this EP have been in his mind for a number of years and were only finally released in November 2011 in partnership with various people under the banner of Towdah Music. "The Exaltation" kicks off as a spoken/shouted declaration of God's greatness and an invitation to praise. "You Are The One" and "Beautiful" continue the theme of declaring God's eternal attributes, before "My Desire" describes the response, which is to "honour you in all I do" and "walk before you all of my days". Ted then sings a reflective arrangement of the 19th century hymn "I Need You" by Annie S Hawks before ending with the prayer "Open My Eyes". All good subject matter with solid song structures, but the execution leaves something to be desired; and some of the arrangements sound messy, particularly "You Are The One". Also, the timing is not always tight enough, some keyboard sounds (like the synthesised lead guitar) sound particularly naff and the drum programming needs more work to make it sound real instead of the same set of samples being triggered over and over again. Ted's flexible voice is attractive and works well on the Michael Jackson-style ballad "My Desire", but his intonation across the EP is not always consistent and he appears to lack power, possibly due to the mix. In summary, a disappointing debut.

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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