STYLE: Gospel RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 166393-25819 LABEL: Independent FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1 RRP: £10.00
Reviewed by Stella Redburn
Redden is a pastor at Emmanuel's Temple, Chicago and her fiery, old-time gospel sound is captivating. She names Mahalia Jackson as one of her influences and she certainly has the soul. She is able to take fairly repetitive, basic songs and infuse them with light and life with her voice alone, which shines in either quiet ballads, reggae-influenced moments or thumping, bass-led tracks. She is accompanied here by the Greg Littlejohn Band, who contribute some lovely moments, like the delicate acoustic guitar of "That's How Jesus Feels" or the honky tonk sound of "Must Of Been My Jesus (Good To Me)". "Once In A Lifetime" swings along nicely and is in praise of true love while "He Comforts Me" has a slower, more relaxed feel as the bass and guitar weave around her voice. Track 13 was not mentioned on my CD cover, which is unfortunate as it is the final and title track. The production throughout is patchy. Several tracks gave the impression of meaningless crooning going on in the background because the vocals were not well mixed, although "In The Nick Of Time" did have a more forward band sound. A shame, as this is a voice that deserves wider exposure.
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This CD is outstanding... My God it's so good