Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Producer, arranger and Pro Tools whiz Kevin Bond, as proven with previous New Birth releases, is a dab hand at contemporizing the trad gospel choir sound. So here we have all manner of punchy, funky rhythms to drive along those rich, proclaiming voices. But there are too many songs sung in unison and a lack of distinctive leads. If that's disappointing, there's also a lack of memorable hooks plus an unfortunate preaching extract intro from the good bishop with sounds more like positive thinking "believe in your dreams" clap trap than any authentically biblical exposition. 'A New Beginning' is an album impossible to recommend. A classic example of a whole heap of resources failing to produce memorable art.

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