This CD without a title is very good. It is a sort of country-meets-faith album and it showcases the talents of Randy Moore & the Fabulous Deltones very well.

"Back When the Odds Were Even" reminds me of the songs of Merle Haggard when he sang about an America that, for most people, is past and gone. As Randy says, when he was a kid nobody got killed at school, gangs were just bad guys in the movies and good always prevailed. Sad but true, we now live in a different world.

"A Mother's Prayer" is another song dealing with the sad reality of life. Its alternate name, "The Adoption Song," will tell you the subject matter. It is the poignant story of the mother who for whatever reason cannot keep her child -- still a common occurrence in our enlightened 21st century. "Together All Alone" is a beautiful "road song" with a lovely rhythm that cannot fail to bring a smile to the listener's face.

"Tears I Cried" is a tale of hard times and a need for God. Hard times and sorrow can make us strong and this is epitomised in the lyric "take the tears I cry to water my garden." "Rope Me With Fire" is another well-written track, which tells us that the best things in life are free. With lines like the title and "tie me with dreams," it urges us to keep on thinking free.

This album is yet another that deserves a much wider audience. The tracks are kind and spiritual without being saccharine. They tell real stories, express sentiments that we have all felt and give wings to dreams that we have all dreamt. Seek it out, give a listen. You will enjoy it.

[ by Nicky Rossiter ]
Rambles: 9 March 2002