Search - Various Artists :: Church - Songs of Soul and Inspiration

AMEN!!!

Karl Miller | Phoenixville, PA United States | 06/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What an incredible CD.
From the opening words of Dr. Maya Angelou through the performances of some of our most talented working female vocalists, "Church" is unique, uplifting and incredibly powerful. There isn't a bad performance on the disc, and most of these women raise the rafters with their powerful vocals turned over to sing praise music.
A few of the major highlights include a reworking of Chaka Khan's classic "Love Me Still (from the "Clockers" soundtrack) - here, Chaka's vocals are both more pensive and pleading, and Bruce Hornsby's piano work sounds even more reflective, fitting perfectly with the song. Patti LaBelle's "Way Up There" takes things up a notch like only Patti can do, and her use of power in her vocals is only rivaled by Ann Nesby (from The Sounds Of Blackness) who turns in an outstanding cover of LEon Russell's "A Song For You".
On the mellower side, (but still excellent) be sure to check out Patti Austin's version of "You Gotta Be" - it is a reworked version of the song made famous by Des'ree, and PAtti makes it work beautifully. And relative newcomer Nnenna Freelon does great work on the classic "Ooh Child" (note - if you find you like Nnenna, be sure to check out her album of covers of Stevie Wonder songs). It's also great hearing Stephanie Mills again, and she does a solid job on "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand).
Be sure not to miss Denyce Graves' "Ave Maria", which is goosebump inducing.
This is just a collection of truly stellar performances, guaranteed not to disappoint fans of spiritual music, r&b, or even classic pop tunes. While the song selection might not look like a spiritual Top 40 list, the performances clearly hit that mark."

Great Singers make for a Great CD!

extremeparanoya | LA | 06/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When you bring together some of the best singers in the business you get one incredible album. What Church contains is an amazing group of singers who all have their roots in gospel music. Many of them grew up singing in their local gospel choirs and this album is a nod back to those days that taught them much about their own musical talent and showed them their path for the future. Where this album diverges from the typical gospel stuff is in the song selection. Who would've thought we would hear EnVogue covering the BeeGee's hit "How Deep Is Your Love"? Or how about Nnenna Freelon covering "Ooh Child". Along with these pop covers are a great selection of songs that follow a more religious and spiritual approach such as "Ave Maria" sung by Denyce Graves or Shirley Caesar's "His Eye is on the Sparrow". Whatever the song, each one is an amazingly beautiful piece of work that shows the devotion and love of each singer to their craft and history. This is such a great album and let's hope that it does well so we can get more installments in the future because great talent shouldn't be wasted. This is an album that I would recommend to every one of my friends and after listening to it you will agree too."

Food for the soul

imchael johnson | jacksonville, florida United States | 06/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My soul looks back and wonder how what took so long for a musical offering of this caliber to reach the shelves. These gifted ladies have truly blessed us with their glorious voices. Each song stands out and has been given a very personal and timeless performance. Maya Angelou starts things off with a poignant spoken piece. Patti Labelle and Jennifer Holiday then take us to church with their soulful powerhouse vocals. Stephanie Mills follows with a beautiful cover of Reach Out And Touch Somebody's Hand. Other highlights include: Ann Nesby, Chaka Khan, Patti Austin.....I could go on and on. Just rush out and get this one.....you'll be delighted."