Reviewed by Andy Cooper

Donnie Williams was an American Idol finalist in 2004 who lost the chance to compete because of a drink driving offence. Now he has released this project to provide an encouragement tool for those recovering from addiction. There are six tracks, four of which are basically different versions of the same song, "Higher Power", though one of them, "The Steps", is more of a lecture (delivered in a rather seductive manner) on how to make a successful recovery. The main song has a slow and smooth R&B vibe, with gospel style backing vocals, tasty horn interjections and lead vocals giving away Donnie's main influence: Stevie Wonder. There's a cool old school mix later on, with silky and smoky vocals from Freddie Hughes. And famed tenor saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders makes a welcome appearance, after the soprano player took too many liberties on the previous tracks, doodling like a naughty child on a freshly papered wall.

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