Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

A real funky bishop is Mr Morton, of the St Stephen's Full Gospel Baptist Church, New Orleans, Louisiana, and the title of the album refers to the fire of the Holy Spirit that's beginning to move through the Big Easy. In fact, I've heard one or two releases lately from gospel outfits from the Deep South, and there are signs that it's going to be the next happening place for gospel music after Chicago. With the help of several different vocal ensembles, a cookin' band and (in gentler moments) The Nashville String Machine, Bishop Paul gets stuck into a dozen numbers of varying styles: up-tempo call & response, slow shouters, and soulful ballads, and whilst it's typical gospel stuff, he shows that he has the chops to provide a worthwhile and uplifting experience. The production is capably handled by veteran Percy Bady (Yolanda Adams and several others), and the running time at a tad under 59 minutes is very generous. Well worth a listen.

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