Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Old school gospel delivered with verve and passion aided by a set of musicians and singers who sound like they've been having church together for many a long year. North Carolina-based Arnetta's rich contralto ducks and weaves around the Hammond organ and doodling bass with plenty of inventiveness (though without the irritating overt embellishments of a Dottie Peoples) and though there are too many slow songs for my taste no one can deny her soulful confidence. The standout is the title track where organist Thaddeus Alston delivers a virtuoso accompaniment that even put Arnetta in the shade. There are one or two production faults - there's a suggestion of flatness in New Beginning's backing harmonies on "My Help" and someone should have told Arnetta that finishing many lines with the sound "uh" gets a tad irritating. But 'God Will Not Fail' is still worth searching out if you want your gospel untainted by synths and auto-tuners.

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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