Reviewed by Stephen Luff

The term gospel music can be used to cover a number of styles from the traditional through to the contemporary which can make a CD such as this hard to categorise. This album from a Cincinatti-based diva stylistically bridges the gap between Andrae Crouch, Jessy Dixon and Claudette, if that makes any sense, with its emphasis on the background singers as much as the lead vocal. The songs, all self-penned, showcases a strong songwriting talent and enables the close harmonies between the vocalists Maurice Henderson, Carla Jones, Margie Price, Ed Stowe and Deborah herself, to shine. There are one or two songs however where she is on her own and this reflects a weakness in her delivery. I feel she works a little too hard and the vocals lose a little of its natural feel and sounds a little forced. This is heard in parts on "Glorify" when singing over the other vocalists where her voice is struggling to deliver some of the notes. That said, this is a reasonable introduction to a developing talent.

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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