Music » Gospel Music

No Description Available.
Genre: Popular Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 17-JUN-2003

Release Date: 1992-07-14, Audio CD, Sony

Because they were raised in a churchgoing household and nourished with the sounds of such gospel legends as Commissioned and the Winans, it is no great mystery as to why Erica and Tina Atkins have become the sister-act duo of the hour. Their singing/songwriting is laden with a soulful confidence borne of supreme talent and a joyful testimony that springs from firsthand knowledge of God's redemptive goodness. Mary Mary found its genesis when the Atkins sisters met up with producer-songwriter Warryn Campbell. Their initial success in song publishing crested when Yolanda Adams recorded two of their songs on Mountain High... Valley Low. After this, it was just a matter of sorting out the best record deal. Thankful unites the dancing soul and the grateful heart. The blending of Erica and Tina's perfectly strung voices, and the finely crafted hip-hop/gospel flavor brings this genre to a new level. Celebration vibes in such songs as "Shackles (Praise You)" and "I Sings" stir images of packed-out dance floors bumping to the groove and lost in a swirl of colored lights. In contrast, a reflective side dives deep into the intimacies of following Jesus. The assured declaration of "Can't Give Up Now" and the tender beauty of "Be Happy" convey the heart of what keeps the Atkins sisters impassioned. One listen to this debut release makes it clear that Mary Mary has bypassed rookie status. This CD should come with a "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sticker. --Israel Button

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR
Title: GREATEST HITS
Street Release Date: 07/14/1992
Domestic
Genre: CLASSICAL ARTISTS

Whoopi Goldberg has a lot of talents, but singing is not one of them. Hearing her massacre Motown classics like "Dancing in the Street," "Ball of Confusion" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in her flat, dull voice on this soundtrack album would be harmless if a whole generation weren't being introduced to these songs through her clumsy performances. Several choirs turn in lackluster performances of gospel numbers. The disc's one redeeming moment is Aretha Franklin's overpowering delivery of "A Deeper Love," written and produced by C+C Music Factory. --Geoffrey Himes

If you have a patriotic bone in your body, you'll find it hard not be stirred by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's God Bless America. This 69-minute collection offers 23 flag-waving standards, from "America the Beautiful" and "The Star Spangled Banner" to "Shenandoah" and "This Land Is Your Land." These 1970s recordings tend toward the bombastic, with backing by the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Columbia Symphonic Band, and Philadelphia Orchestra, but they don't sound overly dated, and there's also an intimate a cappella version of "When I First Came to This Land." Richard P. Condie and Jerold D. Ottley conduct, and baritone Robert Merrill contributes two brief solos. Choral music aficionados might also enjoy the Mormons' 1991 recording, Songs from America's Heartland. --David Horiuchi

Release Date: 1995-10-24, Audio CD, Earthbeat

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: FRANKLIN,ARETHA
Title: GOSPEL GREATS
Street Release Date: 08/23/2005
Domestic
Genre: SOUL/R & B

Where so many duet projects seem like shotgun marriages, this one sounds like a labor of love, celebrating Southern music as a common denominator that transcends racial and categorical divides. Among the highlights, the pairing of Lyle Lovett and Al Green finds revelation within the funky groove of "Funny How Time Slips Away," while the album-closing "Patches"--with George Jones playing father to B.B. King's son--achieves a spine-tingling majesty. Though Natalie Cole and Reba McEntire misconnect on "Since I Fell for You," Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave) and the late Conway Twitty are at their soulful best on "Rainy Night in Georgia." --Don McLeese

By this time in her career, Whitney Houston had a formula sound, and here she leans on it hard, surrounding herself with adult contemporary heavy-hitters like Diane Warren and Babyface. This wasn't the monster her previous records were, most notably The Bodyguard soundtrack, even though it seems to be an overt attempt at satisfying the same audience. Her voice is as crystalline as ever, but overall it seems a somewhat soulless effort, even though the themes are much more secular than she's braved before. --Scott Wilson