Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

"Hello. You've reached The Wordd. After the drop of a beat, please recognise that this music is funky. It's unlike any other gospel music you've heard. Prepare yourself!" Thus the debut album from R&B duo The Wordd welcomes you to their full on funky gospel R&B world. And the word is? They ain't lying because funky this is! From the opening beats, rap and smooth soul vocals of "It's All Good", I am totally captivated. Taking elements of all kinds of different influences, including a healthy dash of Prince, this original sounding album further pushes back the barriers of what can be done with gospel R&B following in the wake of the likes of Kirk Franklin and Mary Mary. Delicious grooves like "Thank You" and "How U Gonna Live" rub shoulders with the more laid back extremely Tony Rich-like sound of "Better Day" which will appeal to those who've fallen in love with last year's Anointed album. Produced by Mr Rich, his fingerprints are featured elsewhere but this is no clone album as The Wordd have enough talent to make their mark. Solidly R&B whilst being unashamedly gospel, there's plenty of ministry going on here as the guys sing about lives changed by Jesus. On the strength of this release, I want to find out more about The Wordd.

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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