James Clay
Self-Titled
Inpop Records

James Clay is a new singer-songwriter that was discovered leading worship in his home church in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. He was discovered by Mylon LeFevre (Mylon LeFevre & Broken Heart), who promptly sent a demo to his son-in-law Peter Fuler (Newsboys and Inpop co-owner).

Clay's self-titled debut has many styles, which reflect the various musical influences in his life. The CD starts out the gate with a rousing rendition of "I Still Believe", once recorded by "The Call." Outside of this first song Clay has either written or co-written all the songs on this debut. Many songs are drawn from his tough experiences growing up. In this short review I could never do justice to his life experiences, so I strongly suggest reading his bio at http://www.jamesclayband.com/.

Overall the musical style of Clay's debut is acoustic rock, but songs like "I Still Believe" and the reggae tune "Send Salvation" add contrast to the album. The lyrics are spirit-filled and very encouraging. Clay's rough-around-the-edges voice and flair for writing make for an exceptional debut.

- Ken W.