Stephenson has always had a knack for producing highly infectious pop tunes, one of which ("Orange is the Colour of Joy") opens the album. In its earlier incarnation it was a simple yet effective tune; here it takes on new life with the soul/gospel inflected backing vocals. Backini's later remix adds a beat, some echo, horns and swirling backing vocals as pop goes Ibiza.

The album has a few bluesy moments, most notably on "The Sun's Coming Out," and "Blind Man's Blues." The former has shades of Rev. Gary Davis with 12-string guitar laid over a half-speed bad rave beat/sample. The end result is a Piedmont meets Club sound, if you can imagine such a thing! "Blind Man's Blues" is much more straightforward: Stephenson sings and demonstrates his fingerpicking skills whilst Australian exile Gypsy Dave Smith adds the fine slide guitar.

There is gospel too. "All Ways Us" has some terrific gospel-infused backing vocals. On "Time for Jesus," support comes from vocal group Brighton Goes Gospel Unplugged, selected with a little help from the Internet. They later do their own thing on "Baba Num Sana" an African traditional song performed acapella. And for those who like that sort of thing, there is even a Sacred Harp feel to the round singing of "Collective Force."

A little bit of Latin America (the anti-bagpipe "Highland Bossa Nova"), a bit of Western Swing (Robert Smith Wright's "Toodle Oodle Ooh!") and some natural field recordings ("Sounds of the Garden" and "Henry Fosebrook and the Woodland Orchestra") all add to the diversity. Running through the album, though is a rich vein of the classy pop tunes that Stephenson continues to turn out. The most memorable of these are probably "Every Step Of The Way" and, somewhat ironically, "Long Forgotten." Both are relatively simple tunes with lyrics that are easy to pick up but not so easy to forget.

There is not really a British equivalent of Americana, but if there was, Martin Stephenson would exemplify the whole genre. Folk, pop, blues, gospel, and much, much more, yet nearly all instantly recognizable as Martin Stephenson. The addition of the various elements brought by The Force adds an extra dimension that makes Stephenson's songs sound even better. Albums like "Collective Force" help to lift the spirits and makes the world seem a better place. Immensely enjoyable.

www.martinstephenson.com

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