Manaia is the solo project of Jen Strickland, who wastes no time in establishing herself with this CDR as one of the more evocative solo artists stepping across the modern garage-psych landscape. "Faith" is filled with the kinds of peculiarities that keep me coming back to a disc. The vocal delivery, the recording quality, and the guitar tones, all have a genuine "worked over" quality that gives this album an immediate depth. Strickland's voice cries out and whispers cryptic mantras that speak of spiritual yearning and discovery but all without sounding cliche or cheesy.

The highlight of the disc for me is the sixth track, "Unbelievable 2". Crunchy distortion ripples and blends with a minimal beat in the background as Strickland's voice repeats "... only an image to me...". The vocals and the music mesh and become solid for a moment. "What does this mean? Why are you in my dreams?"

The sound and intent behind "Faith" puts it somewhere close to other spiritual-psych navigators like Wooden Wand or Hush Arbors, but while Strickland's sound reflects the greats that have come before her, the voice of her music is entirely her own, and that originality speaks volumes about who she is as a songwriter and an artist. This seems like an early chapter in Strickland's story, but a promising one that hints at an amazing potential. 9/10 -- Charles Franklin (6 February, 2007)