The modern history of mankind is, essentially, a story of religions, and the British Isles has had more than its fair share of power, conflict, and destiny shaped by varying strands of Christianity since that culture reestablished itself in what we call the Dark Ages, that time when written and cultural knowledge suffered in the aftermath of the end of Roman rule in the 5th Century.

Tim Hunter is a British musician, producer, songwriter who has released several historically themed concept albums, and his latest fine effort is under the project named Northern Faith, with July seeing the new album, Connecting With Faith – see the Bandcamp page at https://northernfaith.bandcamp.com/album/connecting-with-faith The album discusses that epochal time after the Romans left for their forlorn effort to save the Western Empire, and the foundation of the Kingdom of Northumbria, one of a multitude of independent internal states in our land, this one stretching from Yorkshire to Edinburgh.

You will have heard of The Venerable Bede. He, Aidan, and Cuthbert were monks who defined the age, learned men in an age of brutality and ignorance. The album is fascinating in examining the Celtic ascetic, that supreme self-discipline and refusal of indulgence in the finer things of life, close to nature, clashing with the Roman Church, then, and now if one is honest, a major representation of power and politics on earth, and for any student of history, as far removed for centuries as a force for good as it was possible to get in the cesspool of Roman politics. The Northern Christian culture predated the Protestant and subsequent variation revolutions by centuries in creating something distinct from the centralised church.

So, ten tracks on what really is a definition of cultural intelligent music.

We open with Northern Faith itself. I really enjoy the fusion of Gregorian chants alongside more modern voices, with gospel and eastern references, all wrapped up in a nice groove-infused whole. Very different, and very good.

Connecting With History is a pilgrimage walking in the footsteps of the early Northern saints, the founders of the heritage. Hunter has a nice voice, and this track puts me in mind of Anthony Phillips, with some delicate guitar work and atmospheric keyboards.

Song Of Freedom is just over four minutes, and is, in fact, the longest track on the album, so no lengthy epics here. It is a piece you can imagine the locals singing at the time, when the last of the Romans had disappeared, the garrisons emptied, so they sang their song of and for freedom. I might add that this is something that has been repeated worldwide in many cultures, and it is a rarity that such freedoms bring about enduring happiness – indeed, the lyrics refer to new invaders on the horizon, the end of empire bringing a sense of uncertainty. I like the bass riff on this, strongly underpinning keyboards which bring a 1980’s sense to proceedings. Hunter’s vocals are nicely descriptive.

The Solitude of St. Cuthbert follows, with Hunter’s lyrics inspired by the holy man’s own words. He was a hermit who lived for more than fifty years, which was an achievement back then, and is the patron saint of Northumbria, becoming a monk having experienced a vision on the night of Aidan’s death. He was a prior at both Melrose and Lindisfarne monasteries but died as a hermit. These were violent times, but this is a tranquil song, with some gorgeous acoustic guitar in particular, alongside understated keyboards, Cuthbert dreaming of a tiny dwelling surrounded only by the waves of the sea, and wrestling with the temptations the corporeal world throws at those who wish to dedicate their lives to God.

Caedmon’s Song follows this, and the subject is the earliest English poet for whom we have a known name. Initially a cowherd, he became a monk and a poet. I have embedded this track below, and note that the lyrics are traditional, around which Hunter has composed the music with a nice contemporary feel. The vocals from Mary Motolani are gorgeous, a highpoint of 2024 to me, and musically this is as good a celebration of a religious life as you are likely to hear.

The Venerable Bede should require no serious introduction to readers of this website’s reviews. Suffice to say that his influence as a teacher and historian extends to the present day (it was he who influenced the conception of Anno Domini the practice of dating forward from the birth of Christ). This track concentrates on his skill as a translator, making accessible to the common man of Anglo Saxon Northumbria the teachings of the early Christian Fathers, again as I indicated above, this providing for a distinctive English type of Christianity, and anticipating by centuries the universal translation of scripture in the reformation. Hunter’s vocals are accompanied by Gregorian chants, and the electric guitar work is strong on this track, another nice fusion of the ancient and studiously modern.

Invaders On Our Shores of course brings us those Northern invaders who arrived in waves during the early middle ages and remain embedded in popular imagination. I really like this track, with its thunder and lightning providing a portent of doom over the hitherto peaceful monastery. It is embedded below.

Alcuin of York follows, a scholar, clergyman, and poet who had the distinction of being the leading teacher under Charlemagne The Great, the first of the Holy Roman Emperors. The lyrics are based on the great man’s words, and the male/female harmonies are nice. The keyboards remind one of some of Rick Davies’s lighter tinkling in a track which has clear pop sensibilities. The guitar solo is strong.

The Good Way is the penultimate piece, and takes its lyrics from Jeremiah, Psalms, Ephesians, and Proverbs, so a nice modern fusion of varying texts, psalms, of course, originally being songs sung by Israelites in dedication to God, many of which were credited to King David. The vocals again feature some nice harmonies, the use of the drum machine noticeable, with some brass effects providing for a funky vibe, and it is an interesting contrast to the more traditional hymns you hear at churches the length and breadth of our land.

We close with One Faith, the lyrics based upon Paul’s epistle to The Ephesians. The guitar chords and parping keys provide us with a reggae backdrop to some more quality female vocals, powerful and dripping with belief. I have embedded this below. I really like it.

In Connecting With Faith, Tim Hunter and his collaborators have brought us an interesting set of stories and songs of worship, with quite an eclectic feel to proceedings, and I am very happy to recommend it to you. One more thought. In a week where we in the UK have seen thugs rioting in the guise of English patriotism, and the dangerous fundamentalist Anjem Choudary thankfully banged up for life at His Majesty’s Pleasure, Hunter’s thoughts and music, although dealing with a violent period of history, are spiritually and thoughtfully presented to us with a warmth and decency that will, sadly, never reach the mainstream media, but is something we all should welcome and embrace.