Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

Bryan Pierce, Isaac Carree and Lowell Pye formed Men Of Standard in 1995, along with Michael Bacon, who left the band in 2005, and in the time that they've been together, they have released five albums, of which 'Surrounded' is the latest, and the first since their move to the Sony Urban label. Whilst the run time is a tad short at 38 minutes for 10 tracks, the quality is good. Gradually, the group have moved from a traditional quartet sound to something more appealing to today's urban gospel fans and this album could well be their biggest yet, particularly as there are some high profile guests, notably Kirk Franklin (the boys were a major part of the second leg of Kirk's recent Hero Tour), who adds his unique vocal style to the closing track, "Latter Rain". The other guests are Baby Dubb, Heavy D and Tye Tribbett each of whom add quality contributions. There's plenty here for aficionados of urban gospel, hip-hop and R & B; the opener "I Will" is described on a sticker on the CD case as "the smash single", and I can believe it.

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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