The very title
Rebel
indicates that
Anne Wilson
doesn't see herself as a typical contemporary Christian singer. She's a maverick in a sea of conformity, bringing a grit to her country-gospel that could lead it to be mistaken for secular music. The flipside of this is that
winds up with an earnest undertow that separates it neatly from contemporary country.
Wilson
never seems to be donning a costume; she sings with a sincerity that can veer toward the affectless. Her sense of passion gives
a lift through the moments that veer toward the generic, but there aren't too many of those to be found: this is a lean, effective set that finds
earning the title of
. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine