RUNNING AFTER YOU

CD - Ben Cantelon

It's a struggle, all right. Filtering out the real from a sea of imitations, choosing honesty over pretence, mining for truth when so much around us is fake. But that's the journey that Ben Cantelon is on - a search shared by fellow worshippers the world over. And it's the soundtrack to his debut album, Running After You; a release soaked to the skin in the pursuit of a truer connection with God.

Ben's hunger for a more honest dialogue with God is not just about personal preferences or musical tastes; it's a question of life itself:

"There are a lot of lost people in their twenties and early thirties, ones who have walked the walk at some point but who have lost their way. My prayer is that this would help them, that people would be able to grab onto these songs and find God in a new and real way."

But why the exits? What's behind these departures?

"I think in part it comes down to the fact that we can let church drift away from real life," says Ben. "People are looking for something they can believe in, something they can grab on to, but at the same time they're dealing with rapidly increasing pressures and responsibilities. Turning up at church when you can't get a job only to be told week in and week out that God is good, all the time, it can make things harder than they should be."

With all the hallmarks of classic Soul Survivor songs - the intimacy, the power, the soundtrack for the crowded stage as well as the solo headphones - Running After You makes good on its promise of pursuing God. And what a journey it is!