Salvation Airforce


Strangers in a Strange Land Myrrh 1978
Hey, nifty band name. But does the duo of Michael and Donnie Gossett musically live up to their cool moniker? Kind of. Remember this was issued in the midst of Myrrh's mellowing- out phase. Gone were The JC Power Outlet, Randy Matthews, Petra - in were Amy Grant, Glad, and BJ Thomas. Though suffering some from the late 70's Myrrh syndrome, SAF ultimately emerges much less "adult contemporary" than their label cronies. Most of the album is smooth innocuous soft rock with a light jazz touch. Only 'Complete And Alive' has any real crunch to it. The full-length version of Larry Norman's 'If God Is My Father' closes out side one (though the arrangement here renders it closer to Barry White's 'Love's Theme' than to anything Norman ever did). Norman himself appears on that cut, as do Jon Linn, John Pantano, Tom Howard, and Randy Stonehill. 'Accident' closes out the album utilizing guitar and synth solos on top of a Dave-Brubeck-'Take-Five' type of rhythm. KS