Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

With over five decades in the business, Ohio-based gospel pioneer Rance Allen is an undisputed elder statesman of his trade and his group's latest release highlights a desire to keep moving with current gospel trends without forsaking past influences. Proceedings kick off with the upbeat single "A Lil Louder (Clap Your Hands)" to set the scene for a collection of songs that reflect the premise of the album's title whilst tracks like "U R Not Alone" and "Turn It Around" communicate something of God's love to the individual with soulful R&B aplomb. Occasionally, the general victorious nature of the album can become a little overbearing with the likes of "Champion" - which nonetheless showcases the fact that Allen is still at the top of his vocal game - coming across as somewhat triumphalist and may perhaps turn off listeners who are not steeped in the Christian faith. Elsewhere, the live track "Something About Jesus" urges every "Muslim, Jew and Arab" to bow the knee by repeating the inconclusive statement "there's something about Jesus" over and over without really explaining what that something actually is. Allen and his team seem most at home in blues-based numbers such as the title track and "Feel The Spirit" which proves, on the whole, that this veteran gospel act still has was it takes. Maybe not quite up there with the classics Rance and his brothers recorded with Stax/Gospel Truth back in '70s, this is still a showcase for one of gospel's truly great voices.

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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