Reviewed by Karl Allison

A timely release from N-Soul that addresses the current public taste for all things ambient and danceworthy. This is a largely instrumental work that will strike a chord with all who've recently been listening to the likes of Portishead and Orbital, although Virus have made something slightly more techno than either of them. It might be best described as ambient house; deep, lush keyboard pads with the dance rhythm coming and going. Mostly, the pace is reasonably restrained within 130-150 bmp, although the techno nature of the faster tracks leads to something approaching a rave sound. They've certainly gone at the project without any hint of compromise and the result is something that's fine within its field but likely to be largely impenetrable for the casual listener. Any album that begins with an introduction that's based on one chord and lasts over six minutes is probably destined for minority interest within the current Christian scene! The album works best when the soundscapes are at their broadest, particularly "Air Castles" with its washes and sirens, and the excellent "Visions" with its sudden injection of female vocals. Recommended for clubbers and the adventurous only, but recommended for sure.

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.