A Work in Progress
A fine duo, husband and wife Jeff and Sheri Easter combine the best elements of Southern gospel and "hot new country" on jubilant radio-friendly pop songs such as "Been There, Done That." Likewise, on the more subdued piano- and steel-guitar-driven "Tavern to a Temple," Jeff twangs as tenderly as Randy Travis, Collin Raye, or even Mel Tillis in days gone by. Voted best country album at the 1999 Dove Awards,A Work in Progressis an earth-bound exploration of the everyday trials and tribulations of the Christian partnership with God rather than an inaccessible piety party. Sheri's rich, husky alto grounds the project, most effectively on "Sunshine or Shadow" and her self-penned paean to marriage, "Loving by Heart." It is telling thatWorkcloses on the upswing of the biblically inspired "Faith Like That," a high-spirited bluegrassish number that soars on fiddle reels and a heavenly promise.--Paige La Grone