Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

In his time, the wonderfully named Trammell Starks has played keyboards with such luminaries as Peabo Bryson, Patti Labelle and Roberta Flack so you can guess that the quality here is going to be good. There is no doubt that Starks is a fine keyboard player, creating both synthesised textures and piano flourishes as he attacks these ten pieces. So 'Sanctuary' gives you instrumental versions of 10 traditional hymns and they are the usual suspects - "Amazing Grace", "Jesus Loves Me", "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder" blah blah blah. It's all beautifully performed and peaceful in nature and a musical sanctuary from a busy world but it's also dangerously close to muzak! Again, I have a bigger questioning of projects like this, why do we need yet another version of "Amazing Grace"? With such a huge talent, couldn't Mr. Starks write some original peaceful pieces? Big budget, lush sound, perfectly performed but there so much of this instrumental stuff around, why bother?

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