Cannons

Guitar-powered prayers and mighty-lunged hosannas are all the rage in Christian rock right now, and Phil Wickham stands above the pack by virtue of his luminous, heart-tugging voice and how he applies it. Wickham’s singing style has a sensuous undercurrent that’s uniquely his own and combined with the reverent, almost childlike tone he brings to his lyrics, the result can be transfixing. The songs here mostly fall into to the worship category, with the praise-filled “Must I Wait” and “Spirit Fall” bracketing the album’s tracks. Wickham brings color and atmosphere to his prayerful expressions, invoking the thrill of a pilgrim’s quest in “Sailing On A Ship” and embracing a pantheistic vision in “Beautiful.” While much of the album has a familiar U2-meets-Coldplay sound, “The Light Will Come” has an acoustic-centered British folk feel, while “Shining” invites comparisons with ’80-era David Bowie(!). In the end, the focus always returns to Wickham’s compelling vocals and their ability to invoke rapture, longing and devotion. He turns Cannons into a work of strength and delicacy, worthy of the sanctified message it conveys.