Reviewed by Josh Dipple

The Baltimore bandleader/saxophonist Corinthia Cromwell is asserting herself as a true force of gospel/funk music with this album. From the funk of "All Things" to the raw jazz of "One More Day", to the reggae flavours of "Speak Life, Over Yourself", to the smooth balladry of "All I Need", to the all out jazz fusion of "Groove Stew", the mastery demonstrated here through stellar musicianship and expertly crafted melodies is formidable. One criticism that could be levelled, however, is that Cromwell's skills as a saxophonist are only really shown on the six instrumental pieces at the end of the album. These tracks contain the strongest moments of the whole album, so it's honestly beyond me why the need was felt to separate them from the vocally-led songs in such a way. In fact, this structuring, if anything, gives the impression the kind of divide between "sacred" and "secular" that causes this kind of technically stunning music to go unnoticed by much of society. Which is a real shame.

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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