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With over 75 artists and organizations recording his compositions and sales of his first five releases topping 25,000 units without major label distribution, it would seem that Ross King must be doing something right.  Whatever his secret, new album tracks like "Veil the Last Discoveries" and the likewise infectious "Thoughts on Love" offer up skillful distillations of the buoyant, radio-ready pop of artists like Sonic Flood and Chris Tomlin, with whom King has written several songs.  Others, such as the animated album-opener, "Safe Distance," point up King's sparkling production aesthetic and dead-on pop sensibility.  And the beautiful, acoustic-driven "You Can" highlights King's equally impressive grasp of more intimate, worship-oriented material.

Lyrically, King's observations on the human condition are delivered in a writing style that is both articulate and insightful.  The language of "Small Victories" (We don't always like the taste of Living Water/ So we look around until we find a drink that we prefer) harks back to Rich Mullins' exceedingly clever, and sometimes slightly offhand, lyrical style.  "Things That Matter" and "Venice Is Sinking" (If Venice is sinking/ How can we believe we'll all be fine), by comparison, are informed by a more prophetically-inclined viewpoint.  And "I Lose Again" (Now I'm falling up this mountain/ I'm rising down to freedom) goes the route of contrast and irony for its astute survey of God's refining influence.

In fairness, the back half of the album is padded with a fair amount of filler.  And King's no-holds-barred writing method - which constitutes something of an acquired taste - may well strike some listeners as overly judgmental or astringent.  That said, King's observations are never less than thought-provoking.  And, in more than one place, the artist turns the microscope of his own scrutiny upon himself.  All in all, King's voice-in-the-wilderness approach to songwriting seems likely to prune a goodly number of the more casual members from his would-be audience.  Those who are able to look beneath it, though, will be pleased to discover one of the independent music community's more challenging and well-written recent works.

Bert Gangl, 3/30/203