Reviewed by Tony Cummings

In Britain's black majority churches this, the debut gospel release by an American singer/songwriter who has recorded with such mainstream giants as Madonna, George Clinton, Santana and Toni Braxton, is considered a must-have item. Rightly so. The first couple of songs are wonderful, "Message In The Music" sounding convincingly autobiographical (it isn't - it was written by famed producer Dallas Austin and Kandi Burruss) - Debra soulfully intoning the story of a lost sheep returning to the Church fold over a socking groove while a jazzily funky "Love" is also a delight. Gradually though, the effect dissipates a tad with some of the songs too stylised for comfort and "Jesus" sounding uncannily like something Andrae Crouch might pen. But Debra has a great voice and the mighty Fred Hammond gives some soul power to the Caribbean-tinged "Because Of Your Love". Having Debra pose for the photo shoot with guitar was a mistake as most of the guitars heard on 'Surrender' are played by husband Jimmy while the "Interlude" bits of a squeaky voiced child are grating rather than cute or instructional. But the best cuts here herald a major new talent.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

This track data is supplied by the Cross Rhythms CD/DVD review library. Please note that CD tracks may vary according to release region or product version.