Reviewed by Tony Cummings

A superlative selection of pop R&B songs tailor-made for the British Top 10. Whether you like Easther, Vernie and Kelle doing the R&B groove thing, the catchy pop thing or the tender ballad thing those glorious voices and breathy harmonies glide through sinuous productions compiled by a bevy of producers. Standouts for me are the soul ballad "Grace Under Pressure" where a haunting song about a world in turmoil is superlatively produced and arranged by Dennis Charles and Ronnie Wilson with the East London Gospel Choir adding their voices to the haunting chorus. My least favourite track is the "Someday" slowie, which even a guesting Eric Clapton can't stop from being overblown smaltz. But we'll let that pass. On the whole, the music here exudes class and multi platinum sales will no doubt follow. What is worrying for many believers are songs like "Promises" (written by Easther and Vernie Bennett) which talks about "bodies being united" or the overly explicit sleeve pics where Kelle flashes a lot of bra. Compared with the soft porn of much '90s R&B, this is tame stuff, but all the references to God on the sleeve won't convince some in the Church that these dear sisters aren't losing their way.

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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