Reviewed by Ian Hayter

With their haunting college-orientated art-pop Pennsylvania's The Innocence Mission have been a critically acclaimed act in the mainstream since they first emerged in the mid-'80s. This is their eighth album and is produced by husband and wife Don (guitars and cello) and Karen (vocals, guitars, keyboards) Peris, together with bassist Mike Bitts. Their gentle, lilting, acoustic-based pop draws on themes from their everyday lives as they walk the kids to school, avoid the rain and paddle in the ocean. The first three people to walk into the room where I was listening to this all separately asked if it was a new Katie Melua album, but there are also shades of Joni Mitchell and even Turin Brakes, scattered around these 11 delicious songs which convey a deep contentment with life and a clear awareness of God's presence within and beyond it all. From the opening lines of the first track "Rain" - "This dress I made out of the curtains was on the line, dancing better than I can" - you know there's going to be plenty to identify with. "The Happy Mondays" (no relation) just oozes joy and "God Is Love" is shot through with threads of deepest faith and trust which run on right into the closing "Shout For Joy". There are plenty of albums around which grapple with the angst, fragmentation and downright despair of today's world, so it's tremendously heartening to happen upon a set of songs such as these which in their lyrics, melodies, arrangement and performance enable the listener to sink back into the comfort of a world where ultimately God is in charge and we can trust him for anything. You might call that escapist, or you might see it as the expression of an attitude that is thoroughly Kingdom-centred. Whatever your view, 'My Room In The Trees' is certainly well worth a listen.

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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