Dave Dobbyn "Available Light" 2005

...The reconnection with New Zealand continued through Dobbyn’s self-produced 1998 album The Islander. Though it opened with ‘Waiting’ – his brightest pop tune since ‘Slice Of Heaven’ – the centrepiece was unquestionably ‘Beside You’, a beautiful ballad of remorse and reconciliation, for which he won a further Silver Scroll in 1998...

...But if The Islander’s underlying theme was of a person making peace with himself, his partner, his country, his roots – it came with a hint that Dobbyn’s journey wasn’t over. Complete with gospel piano, ‘Hallelujah Song’ is a kind of parable, in which a sniper attempts to shoot the Pope and triggers off a miracle. While it looks back to the Catholic values with which Dobbyn grew up, it also foreshadowed a significant event that was soon to occur: he became a born-again Christian. Rumours of his conversion began circulating after he returned from a trip to New York City in late 1998. But it was not until the following year when, in an interview with Greg Dixon to promote Overnight Success (an ironically-titled greatest hits collection), he announced: “I met Jesus Christ about a year ago. Now I just look around and everything I look at, God is responsible for.”... to be continued - audioculture

trax:
01 Intro (Instrumental) 02 Welcome Home 03 Let That River Go 04 Pour the Wine 05 Roll Away 06 Outrageous Design 07 Accustomed to the Light 08 And You Will Lose Everything 09 It's the Truth 10 Forgiveness 11 Free the People 12 Keeping the Flame 13 You Got Heart 14 Drink the River 15 Outro (Instrumental)
…served by Gaius…