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If the self-titled first project from Essential Records artist Sarah Sadler fails to vault 19-year old vocalist squarely into the Christian pop music fray, it won't be for lack of a running start.  Growing up under the auspices of professional musician/songwriter father Gary Sadler, young Sarah was already hard at work on her craft by age 11, when her self-penned "I Will Pray" made it onto the Integrity Music children's sing-a-long record Let's Bless the Lord.  Some seven years later, it would appear that the longstanding association of father and daughter - who, together, handle the lion's share of the songwriting chores for the release - has indeed been a fruitful one.  From the infectious synth-pop textures of "Beautiful" to the ethereal, trancelike aura of "Orbit" and slow, shimmering love balladry of "Dreams of You," the duo's combined musical know-how arrays the debut with a decidedly enjoyable set of songs.

Wordwise, a good part of the album harks back to the nascent stages of the Christian crossover movement, when mainstream-ready singles from artists like Kathy Troccoli and Michael W. Smith sent more meticulous listeners scurrying for their liner notes to check the capitalization of the personal pronouns.  While such an approach certainly works to a degree to veil the subjects of Sadler's songs, the compositions themselves hardly seem any the worse for it.  Indeed, Deity-directed entries such as "Best Thing" and the equally appealing "Running into You" (I feel You all around/ Like the air I'm breathing/ It's Love at every turn/ Whispering my name) possess an intimacy and longing that would work equally well in the person-to-person context.  In the same way, the adoring attitude and near-poetic language of the beautiful romantic ode "Dreams of You" (You have me, you hold me/ You know my heart of old) look to be every bit as suitable for a divine recipient as they are for their human one.

It might be tempting to dismiss the debut as merely the sum of its heavy-hitting support staff.  To be sure, a good amount of the album's appeal is the result of Gary Sadler's well-honed lyrical savvy and producer Matt Bronleewe's perennial pop sensibility.  That said, though, it is ultimately Sarah Sadler's razor-sharp, and seemingly effortless, vocal delivery that propels the project to success.  In all fairness, portions of the album skirt run-of-the-mill territory, and Sadler's attempts at lite funk ("Say You Do") and teen-pop ("Running Into You," "Simply Complicated") come across as ill-fitted, at best.  Still, such miscues are the exception rather than the rule, and are more than compensated for by the album's plentiful supply of infectious melody lines, sparkling instrumentals and impeccably-layered vocal arrangements - the likes of which the members of Def Leppard would surely be proud of.  All said, while Sadler's premier falls just shy of earth-shattering or truly unique, it nonetheless stands as a most worthy endeavor; highlighting a gifted young artist and hinting at a copious reserve of yet-unearthed talent.

Bert Gangl (10.07.02)