This is Sheila’s 8th studio album and it has a bit of an interesting history. It was released in 1987 around the world but not in the U.S. It was subsequently released the next year in the U.S. which was coincidentally after Sheila Walsh took a co-host seat on the television talk-show, The 700 Club. I don’t know if they held the release or weren’t going to release it but anyway it was released in the U.S. and did very well on the CCM charts. It had 3 top 10 singles, “Angels With Dirty Faces”, “Jesus Loves The Church”, and “Wind Of Change”. Interestingly the album included a cover of the Todd Rundgren’s Utopia song “Love Is the Answer”. I can’t really judge if it’s a good cover as I don’t acre for the song no matter who did it. You should always read the credits for Sheila’s albums and on this one Phil Keaggy stepped in to help out on “Angels With Dirty Faces” and “Hope For The Hopeless”. Personally I have always struggled listen to Sheila. My first exposure to her as her duet with Steve Taylor of David Edwards “Not Going To Fall Away” which is one of my all time favourite recordings. Also on that E.P. was her cover of Bryn Haworth’s “We’re All One”. These two recordings were certainly not her usual style and as such I ended up judging all her subsequent work against something she wasn’t particularly known for. This ended up causing this strange situation where I absolutely loved her as an artist but didn’t really like her music. Strange I know but I stand by my misguided love of her.
Tracklist
1 – Wind Of Change – 4:07
2 – Surrender – 4:27
3 – Love Is The Answer – 4:32
4 – Trapeze – 5:03
5 – Dorai Sani – 6:33
6 – Empty Boxes – 5:05
7 – Angels With Dirty Faces – 3:50
8 – Jesus Loves The Church – 4:16
9 – Human Cry – 4:12
10 – Hope For The Hopeless – 4:24
Credits
Jimmy Abegg – Songwriter
J.J. Belle – Guitars
Richard Blackford – Orchestra Arrangmenets, Conductor
Simon Chamberlain – Piano
Clem Clemson – Guitars
David P. Cook – Songwriter
Neil Costello – Guitar
Pandit Dinesh – Percussion
Colin Elswood – Background Vocals
Dave Engel – Drums
Martin Green – Saxophones
Steve Griffith – Songwriter
Phil Keaggy – Guitars
London Community Gospel Choir – Choir
Basil Meade – Background Vocals
Charlie Morgan – Drums
Lynn Arthur Nichols – Executive Producer
Stuart Ongley – Executive Producer
Richard Osborne – Producer, Drum Programming, Keyboards, Guitars
Alan Park – Piano
Todd Rundgren – Songwriter
Bruce Spencer – Songwriter
Miriam Stockley – Background Vocals
Jon Sweet – Producer, Songwriter, Keyboards
Rod Trott – Songwriter
Sheila Walsh – Executive Producer, Songwriter, Vocals
Paul Westwood – Bass
