I guess if you combine the musical talents of an Irishman, a Welshman now based in England and an American Cherokee-Scot, you're simply bound to end up with an intriguing and fascinating fusion of sounds!

These three worship leaders, finding themselves together on stage at a leaders' conference, felt led to explore their combined giftings further;- within months they embark on a US tour and not long after - Hurricane is released, under the collective name of The Hudson Taylors (formerly the name of Houston's band), in tribute to the British missionary to China whose outstanding faith and utterly devoted life makes for a most riveting and uplifting biographical read.

Boy does this partnership work to good effect! Acoustic in style and thoroughly rootsy in tone, the album, comprising genres of Celtic, country, rock and blues, makes for a striking collection of well-crafted and memorable songs. Along with Houston, Richards and Drain, numerous other renowned musicians lend a hand - including the ubiquitous Phil Madeira (on guitars, B-3, lap steel, accordion and melodica!), Rick Cua, Steve Hindalong and The Choir's Derri Daugherty, whose respected mixing/production skills are also employed.

Standout tracks? Well, they're all so strong that the presence of just one duff one would have made it stand out! Gotta say, though, I'm particularly impressed with Brian's vibey 'You are mystical', which celebrates God's breathless majesty; also the prayerful flow of 'Waterfall', the prosaic 7-minute 'Where you see bones', a deeply inspiring prophetic piece and the closing ambience of 'Every morning'.

Part-recorded in Nashville, part in Eastbourne, UK, these mainly new songs were each written by one of the trio alone or in tandem with others. The three also join together on the catchy song choruses and occasionally provide alternating lead vocals on particular tracks. This stirring music formidably interlocks with yearning, uncompromising and/or adorational lyrics - whose message the 'original' Hudson Taylor would most surely approve of! Hurricane is a gem of a disc, soon likely to be termed a Christian-folk classic.

 

Courtesy of Tom Lennie for goldusa.com | 2002