Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Some more crucial jams! The best sanctified dance is now so hot it absolutely demands play in every nightclub in the land. Thanks to the soul underground, the choice cuts from Margaret Bell, Helen Baylor, Commissioned et al are getting some clubland exposure, though the average honkie evangelical or black church member is so buried in their cultural ghettoes that they're totally unaware that the message of faith in Jesus Christ is now roaring from the nightclub speakers. Rather than decry these palaces of hedonism for their immorality, the church would be better served by taking some hot jams like this one into the clubs as surprise presents for the deejays (though clubland needs it on vinyl, Word) and be prepared to hang around and witness as the boogie crowd get down to a radical alternative to "I want your sex". Keep praying for the radical purveyors of sanctified dance. Sermon over. (Thank goodness. Ed.) So what of the music here? Being Commissioned's seventh album (Obviously. Ed.), it demonstrates conclusively that producer/leader Fred Hammond has lost none of his street wise sensibilities, with the opener "Second Chance" and several other immensely funky cuts having rhythm enough to get a corpse dancing. For an occasional rest in between the hot dance floor action there are one or two soul ballads with harmonies and sax in a swirlingly sweet blend. Clearly the group miss the departed Keith Staten not an iota, while the group's heartening determination to avoid Universal Lurve lyrical compromise is to be applauded. A brilliant soul -gospel/sanctified dance album.

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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