Reviewed by Phil Thomson

The lady was multi-million chart material several decades ago - even before Europe had heard of Aretha Franklin - and her career is legendary, so it's a bit of a surprise to find that this is only Dionne Warwick's second fully 'Christian' album. As with so many of her contemporaries, steeped in the gospel tradition, faith is still at the centre of all she offers us and these 12 carefully chosen songs reflect this with rare sensitivity. From "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic" (I never knew the lyrics could be so meaningful) to the best rendition of "Jesus Loves Me" you are ever likely to hear, Warwick has included some of her personal favourites, dipping back to the early work of the family line-up The Drinkard Sisters to bring us "Rise, Shine, Give God The Glory" and reprising Kirk Franklin's 1993 "Why We Sing", where she is joined by her sister Dee Dee. No album at this level would be complete without the Winans stamp and here BeBe shares some of the leads and wrote three of the songs, including the prayerful "The World Needs Jesus". Warwick also reminds us of her mastery in front of a choir by romping through the Clara Ward Singers' "Old Landmark", echoing Warwick's 1968 recording of the song on her first gospel album 'The Magic Of Believing', only this time trading exchanges with a rocking organ and the full-on New Hope Baptist Church Choir of Newark, New Jersey. Damon Elliott, Dionne Warwick's son, makes it to the credits - as co-producer - along with her other son David Elliott (a Luther Vandross writer) who wrote and also shares the lead on the final track, "Seven", a dream narrative with a contemporary treatment and a healthily apocalyptic warning in the style of Revelations. And thus, this beautifully crafted album bows out with a homage to the next generation.

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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