Approximately one year after the release of his praise and worship album, Chapel Songs, prolific singer/songwriter Eddy Mann is back again with his latest release, Turn Up The Divine. Mann continues with his classic rock-inspired musicianship and lyricism that will no doubt appeal to longtime fans of Christian artists like Keith Green and The Choir, but also mainstream artists such as Chicago and Fleetwood Mac. Even though Mann draws from some pretty clear influences and genres, the album still manages to be pretty eclectic within those boundaries, with an array of different instruments and sounds in each song. Opening track "The Humble Cottage By The Sea" is a light, upbeat song with layered vocals, a guitar and keyboard that play off of each other, and a rhythm that somehow makes you feel at home in the story of Jesus healing the Apostle Peter's mother-in-law. Meanwhile, the back half of the album leans more into a Tom Petty-esque rock sound, being a little more guitar-centric than the norm, and the ballads like "Relentless Love" and "Child, Can You Spare Some Time" heavily feature piano, organs, more pronounced bass guitars, and even some banjo. The latter of the two is a standout of the album's twelve tracks: the song reminds the listener of God's desire for intimacy with humanity, as He repeatedly asks us to take some time out of our day for Him ("Once I swarmed the deep with creatures / and made birds of every kind / and there was evening and there was morning / child, can you spare some time / once I formed a man and woman / the human paradigm / created for My pleasure / child, can you spare some time"). The album has plenty of moments that are quite enjoyable, but it does have a few setbacks as well. Some of the vocal production sounds a little thin and underproduced, and a small handful of songs are a little too repetitive (namely the opener and "Fly, Fly Away"). Each song also has a very quick fade out, ending abruptly and jumping directly into the next track, which can be pretty jarring. But these are fairly minor quibbles overall. Turn Up The Divine is a solid album that puts the love of Christ at the center and should appeal to many fans of classic CCM.

- Review date: 5/20/24, written by Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com