CCM AOR Soft Rock

Original 1994

Near mint condition

Credits:

Chris Bowater - Lead Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards
Johnny Markin - Keyboards, Guitars, Drum Programming, Backing Vocals
Julian Wiggins - Sax
Steve Lawson - Bass
Daniel Bowater - Programming
Annie McCaig - Backing Vocals
Paul Field - Backing Vocals

Tracks:

1.  This nation shall be great
2.  Your world
3.  You know my ways
4.  Where I am
5.  Teach me how to pray
6.  New every morning
7.  If you love me
8.  How i wanted to bless you
9.  Time for tears
10. We confess

Ah, I thought, a Chris Bowater album. Knowing my worship music I could almost hear this one before it started. Gentle, low key music, heartfelt and worshipful but over the span of an album a tad samey and occasionally soporific. At first my expectations for languid tempos and prayerful lyrics were met. "You Know My Ways" is a quite beautiful song. But then the first shock. A lightly funky "Where Am I" with a vocal which if not a rap, is pretty close to it. And on side two there's another, bigger shock. "If You Love Me" is, er, a dance track. Over a pumping dance groove that wouldn't be too out of place on a World Wide Message Tribe album the worship veteran points out that if we love the Lord we'll do what he says. My favourite track is the soulful ballad "New Every Morning" and with this greater musical diversity brought out by producer Johnny Markin, this could well be Chris' finest album. (Reviewed by Tony Cummings)