Reviewed by Simon Eden

I guess God meets people in all kind of wide ranging circumstances, so I guess "on the corner of 1st and Amistad" isn't so unusual. What I wouldn't expect is that "God turned up a little late smoking his last cigarette"? The track "You Found Me" is a balance between God picking us up when we are "lost and insecure, lying on the floor" and an angry rant that he never left any telephone voice messages or letters. Core members Isaac Slade (vocals and piano), and Joe King (guitar and vocals), are now joined by Dave Welsh (guitar) and Ben Wysocki (drums and percussion) but without significant departure from the style of their 2005 album success which led to their UK number five single "How To Save A Life". This is still teenage angst in the emo (emotional) self-mutilation vein but with a piano soundtrack instead of guitar anger. Musically this is quality deserving of their previous Grammy nominations, but lyrically this is poetic turmoil in a pained vocal distress that doesn't offer any solutions other than the counselling of the listener. "Man was born to trouble", "in the end everyone ends up alone", "sixty years of sorrow" are not the prettiest pictures to paint, but for those hurting, this is musical therapy and a Counselor that comes alongside.

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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