The following review of True Believer by Darlene Peterson appeared in the July-August 1995 issue of Religious Broadcasting.
Sparrow, for Phil Keaggy's first release with the label, wanted to achieve a fresh, distinctive sound to make this album stand out from his already extensive body of work. They succeeded. Producer Alan Shacklock has packaged Keaggy's considerable talent in some powerful, well-layered, radio-ready pop tunes, meshing some interesting percussion with the tapestry of guitar work, and giving Keaggy a slightly harder edge on some cuts. The title track is a good example.
However, lyrically I still prefer the songs penned by Keaggy although those written by Shacklock and others are not bad and the music is strong. The Keaggy-penned songs also musically sound more like some of his previous work, which should please long-time fans. A nice mix of the new and the familiar.