Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Possessing as he does a fine, keeningly soulful tenor voice not dissimilar to Luther Vandross, Portland-based E D Mondaine has the gift to make a top notch record and the opening song here, "Suddenly Come Too Soon", a slow soul ballad, is just that. Over elegant piano E D, with spine-tingling ducks and swoops, adds to the stately melody while never falling into the trap of some modern gospel exponents with too much acrobatics. Though not quite as good, "Goodness Any Mercy" is another slow soul gospel gem, this time with Belief more in earshot as they harmonise the hook. The lyric is thoroughly biblical and even contains a bit of Psalm 23 as a spoken recitation though it's rather disconcerting that the first line of the verse not only uses the same melody but the first few words as the ancient Doris Day oldie "Que Sera Sera" ("When I was just a little [boy]. . ."). A welcome change of tempo occurs on "Wherever I Am". Still not fast (clearly E D doesn't do fast), it's a slinky jazz shuffle complete with a bit of soulful sax. Not every song is top quality, "Father Of The Fields" for instance is dull, but throughout the quality of E D's voice ensures that you keep listening while the production is adequate. If you're looking for neo soul gospel albums 'A Place For Me' is worth investigating.

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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