Reviewed by Peter Dilley

An acronym of the confident debut album title is the key to the moniker espoused by this Houston-based R&B trio, so it's a little unfortunate to see computer spell-checks correcting it to the somewhat derogatory 'Blasé'. But leaving aside the name issues and turning to the music, there are obvious comparisons to be made between Blase and Destiny's Child, particularly the Beyonce-soundalike lead vocals on tracks such as "Pray", "Holy Ghost" and "Power". Complementing the girls' own talents, a rapper known as Tweety pitches in on a couple of tracks, solo artist Shei Atkins features on "I'll Praise Your Name", and Gene Moore Jr joins them on "Change", the album's expansive, gospel-flavoured finale. If I had one criticism, it would be that at times those lead vocals sound rather shrill in timbre and perhaps a little too direct and "preachy" in lyrical content. However, with an evangelistic appeal included at the end of the final track, no one could accuse Blase of not doing their best to live up to the sentiments inherent in their chosen name.

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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