An introduction by Jeff Johnson –

A tourist is one who travels out of curiosity and idleness. A pilgrim is someone who leaves home in search of an "elsewhere" which transforms him into someone else. The pilgrim seeks a 'place of refuge' or, as the Celtic Irish monks called it, a 'place of redemption.' Whether one journeys towards Jerusalem, Rome, Constantinople, Santiago de Compostella or Plymouth, all pilgrims desire one thing: mercy. To find mercy is to find forgiveness and redemption. In Rocamadour, France the pilgrim climbed 216 stone stairs on his knees while praying for forgiveness. Once he arrived at the top, he was offered the sacrament of the bread and wine representing the fulfillment of his redemption. Even more dramatically, if one was a convicted criminal and had been sentenced to pilgrimage (a common practice in Europe during the late Medieval period) one often made their journey in chains not to be removed until the place of pilgrimage had been reached. All of us, at one time or another, have felt those "chains" around us. We find ourselves like Bunyan's pilgrim, loaded down with "heavy burden" and, like David in the Psalms, we cry, "Be gracious to me, O Lord." This is why the Psalms has always been the 'pilgrim's handbook' for no other book so thoroughly and succinctly describes the great longing we share for mercy and the hope that is rewarded to those who trust in God.

Based upon the biblical texts and the ancient writings of spiritual pilgrims, Johnson blends layered keyboards, guitars and percussion to capture the ethereal mood of the Psalms. Prominent in many sections is Janet Chvatal’s clear vocal (in Latin) and the haunting recorders of Brian Dunning impact the atmosphere of Johnson’s exquisite production...It is a musical pilgrimage to an encounter with God.

– Doug Hanks/Worship Leader Magazine (January 1997)