Description
My Heart Shall Journey… is a compilation album by the British singer, songwriter, and keyboardist Adrian Snell, independently released on Serious Music in 1997, distributed by Word Music.
There are two things that make Adrian very distinct from the vast majority of his contemporaries. First, is his ability to do things a little bit differently, rather than just sticking to the usual formula. Hence the album contains a few instrumentals, singing in Hebrew, a gospel choir at one point and on a good number tracks some very tasty electric guitar work. The second (and for me the most noticeable) thing that sets Adrian apart though is his willingness to sing about the subjects that others seemingly never consider or perhaps deem too controversial, or simply not commercial. The obvious tracks here are «Beautiful..Or What?», a song about disability; «Fear», a song about the holocaust written from the perspective of a young Jewish girl; and probably most appropriate for this Christmas time of year – «Nothing We Can Do From Here», a song all about the gulf between the rich and poor nations of the world and our seeming indifference to the problem.. “It’s headlines and hard times, heartache and fear/ But don’t worry, there’s nothing we can from here/ With our hearts on our sleeves we know how to bleed/ As we ring up the tills by the hour/ What’s mine is mine, what’s their’s is mine/ It looks so good from our ivory towers.” Overall, this is a very impressive collection. If I had to sum Adrian Snell up in as few words as possible, I’d simply say it like this: Soft pop, hard edge. [Philip Croft, Cross Rhythms, December 1997]
Adrian Snell has been around for a many years and has released a number of critically acclaimed albums. These tracks are taken from albums recorded between 1984 and 1994, during which time he worked a lot with members of Iona (the original sessions which led to Iona took place during Adrian Snell sound checks).
Musically there is a fair range of styles represented here – some tracks not far from Iona (although with less of a Celtic feel) and some with a more adult contemporary feel. The number of albums represented shows through in both the musical styles and themes, as most of Snell’s works are concept albums.
The lyrics are largely well-written and very moving. Snell is known for dealing with issues no one else will touch – particularly touching are the words of a poem written by a 12 year-old Jewish girl in Auschwitz during the World War II Holocaust:
Today the ghetto knows a different fear,
Close in its grip, Death wields an icy scythe.
An evil sickness spreads a terror in its wake
The victims of its shadows weep and writhe.Adrian Snell has had a large impact on many Christians and Christian music within the UK and further afield. Although they vary in quality, this is a good collection of some of his strongest tracks. [James Stewart, The Phantom Tollbooth, 1998]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/my-heart-shall-journey/1507324041)
CD tracklist:
01. Roads to Zion (Instrumental) – 4:43
02. Where You Are – 3:41
03. Love Speaks in Silence – 3:55
04. Guns of Peace – 7:03
05. Feed the Hungry Heart – 4:17
06. Nothing We Can Do from Here – 4:42
07. Beautiful – 6:17
08. With the Sun on her Wings (Prelude, Instrumental) – 3:22
09. Fear – 5:34
10. If I Were – 6:06
11. Coverdale (Instrumental) – 3:51
12. Roller Coaster – 4:16
13. Why Does It Have to Be This Way? – 5:40
14. I Am the Way! – 4:30
15. Alpha and Omega – 4:52
16. No More Tears – 3:18
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