Conjuring images of the Innocence Mission and Over the Rhine, thanks mainly to the versatile, ethereal vocals of Diane MacLeod and Shirley-Anne Nolan, Land is a distinctive current in the wave of promising Christian artists currently emerging from Scotland. Point Me to the Skies, follows the band's debut with a stronger focus on vocals rather than the complex textures of its predecessor, but works well in both of these respects.

The female vocals which are the most striking aspect of this recording are contributed by Shirley-Anne Nolan, Yvonne Whitty, and Diane Macleod. Their three voices differ somewhat in timbre and tone, but weave in and out of one another to powerful effect.

The album closes with a rendition of the hymn "Abide With Me." Land's take on this timeless piece  which is fairly conventional in terms of interpretation, led by a simple piano and the three vocalists. But it pulls together the threads which are to be found lacing through the rest of the tracks. The order of the tracks takes the listener through a journey of emotions and thoughts, full of biblical imagery, and the forward looking and hopeful lyrics of this piece offer a good finish to the tapestry of themes.

The tone of the album generally is hopeful but restrained. Writer, acoustic guitarist, and keyboard player Steve Knott recognizes images of his own experience in the lives of biblical figures, along with the hope of the overall working of God in "Have Mercy." The song is driven by John McCabe's simple, softly funky electric guitar work and would probably be the most immediate track from the album.

     Here I am
     Like Abraham
     A stranger in
     A stranger land

     While I can
     I raise my hand
     To plead with God
     For grains of sand

Produced by Calum Malcolm and featuring guest musicians including Steve Butler (Lies Damned Lies/Sticky Music) this album continues to be distinctive in its use of musical texture built up with conventional instruments but with an individual flare. The arrangements don't have an earthy side that some of the tracks on Down the Mountain Slowly showed, but apart from a couple of tracks which seem to lose their grounding (particularly the keyboard-led instrumental "Little Symphony") they retain the listener's interest well.

Land are carving themselves an interesting niche and it will be interesting to see where they carry their music from here. With a little more consistency, this would have been a stunning album and as it is it bodes well for the future of Land.

James Stewart 11/21/1999