As I sit down to write this review the skies, finally and thankfully, shine down a heavenly warm light through my window. Which is fitting as the album I have before me is a new (well originally released independently in 2004 but now released officially) album by Christian rock pioneer Ulf Christiansson, founder of ground breaking band Jerusalem.

So as I immerse myself in his gospel sounds and enjoy the final breaking of spring, what is it like to experience life on the light side? Released through Retroactive Records, 'Entertainers & Soldiers' offers up 13 tracks of progressive AOR, mixing ballads with some slightly rockier sermons which, according to the album information I have here, "broaches subjects not often spoken of and shares things that you have sensed but could not put into words". Any fans hoping to hear the man rock it up like the heady heights of his Jerusalem days will be disappointed however, as this album's music matches the religious introspectiveness of the lyrics, offering details of his allegiance to God. Of course, this is what many fans might expect and, indeed, respect.

Lost in a world of torturous effects, however, you can almost hear him cry out in agony. That is when his vocals are not lost in the mix. The pain is represented in titles such as 'Rip My Heart Out', a slow and drawn out song that presents a voice at one moment sublime, the next completely wandering, and 'Die To Myself', a better song but suffering from the same mass of sound effects.

Songs such as title track 'Entertainers & Soldiers' and 'Godspeed To You' offer a much better example of the qualities which made Jerusalem successful, while 'Hope For Tomorrow' demonstrates a more accomplished attempt at a ballad which fans of the genre may more readily appreciate. 'Kings & Spears' has an 80's progressive sound almost reminiscent of Tears For Fears circa 'The Seeds Of Love', which is actually not necessarily a bad thing.

Although touching on grand moments, all in all this album suffers greatly from an over-enlightened proponent of the synthesiser, and Ulf's stomp box must be of godly proportions. However, this may well appeal to Ulf's already large fan base and, if not, the beginning of 'Homeland' is worth a listen if ever you wanted to know what Kid Rock's equally incoherent introduction to 'Bawitdaba' sounded like from out of space.

www.myspace.com/jerusalemulfchristiansson