Reviewed by Barbara Noel

As any CCM aficionado can tell you, The Imperials have been around for decades, starting as a Southern gospel group, getting involved in the mainstream (including numerous gigs with one Elvis Presley), pioneering a pop soul CCM sound with Nashville's best producers and in the process winning all manner of awards. In recent times though they have all but disappeared. Now, after a law suit they have returned with a new name and with the original group member Armond Morales, past Imperials Dave Will and Paul Smith and newcomer Rick Evans have started afresh with the hopes of continuing the legacy set many years ago. This new group also sets the scenes for new waters moving from the traditional to incorporate a more contemporary sound to encompass a wider audience. The album reflects the transformation whilst still managing to capture the traditional values. Life long fans and possible new ones will appreciate the faultless vocals, solid production, with diverse songs ranging from southern gospel, country to rock/pop. With such a risk of diversity the group manage to produce an album that reflects their experience and the need to get their message across. With inspiring and liberating songs such as "No More Looking Over My Shoulder", the realistic and promising lyrics of "Been through The Water" and the haunting feel of "Something's Wrong With The World", they manage to convey a real life outlook within their songs.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.