Reviewed by Paul Poulton

This album is coloured heavily by the times in which it was recorded, 1986. It comes from the era when Commissioned (at that time Fred Hammond, Keith Staten, Mitchell Jones, Karl Reid and Michael Williams) were, along with The Winans, pioneering the work started by Andrae Crouch in bringing R&B rhythms and production values to gospel music. So here we have funky bass, (deliciously played by the award winning Hammond), big snare (ouch), a selection of ring-like-a-bell keyboards and silky vocal harmonies. Musically, not unlike the Tavares or D Train with hints of The S O S Band, this will still connect with fans of '80s soul. Lyrically, Commissioned have an up front Gospel message although these days they seem to get tagged as band that can crossover. Approaching this re-mastered reissue, the first thing I noticed in what was Commissioned's second release is the ambient quality the pervades through it, which was unusual for the time. The swirling atmosphere is probably caused by microphones that were not close to the instrument or voices they were recording. These days most recordings are close and fat so listening back to this album will be a different experience in more than one way. As mentioned earlier, '80s soulsters may enjoy but for me this album doesn't stand the test of time. It's simply too stylised.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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