 Cross Roads Tremolo-drenched Christian country with three-part harmony vocals on virtually every song. Cross Roads were a family/inbred chug-country group with a sound kind of like the Stonemans, with an emphasis on vocals and Russ Lind's twangy guitar. It's really mellow and pretty forgettable. I bought it for the enticing "Cripple Boy's Prayer," and that track did not disappoint. A real creepy weeper, it presents the unique songwriting scenario of a wheelchair-bound boy asking the Lord some fundamental questions: "Will I be a cripple boy in heaven?/Will my wings refuse to fly through the air?/Lord, I know the way I am is for a reason/But will I be a cripple boy up there?" Well, no one can accuse Cross Roads of going for the same old religious clichés. Unfortunately nothing else packs as much of a crippling punch in the spine. "I Have Hope" is a nice secondary choice, I suppose, but it's not about a cripple boy so I'm not as interested. "I'm in Love With Jesus" features some ear-bending off-notes courtesy whomever was the young girl that sang it. Two song titles feature the word "Tears." This was apparently Cross Roads' second album, though I'm not rushing out to find the first one, unless there's more cripple boy songs.
Review by Annamaria Whampis |