Reviewed by John Hebden

The press information with the CD makes two important points about Friends4Life - although this is the first album by this combination of musicians, they include some with a vast experience of touring with some top players; and the context of the writing for this album is recovery from the huge personal losses suffered by band members due to Hurricane Katrina. The main contributors to the album are Quincy McCollum and Keith Brumfield who share most of the writing, singing and producing credits. There's much praise and thanksgiving for God's goodness; in fact, Katrina only gets mentioned by name in one track, "Through The Storm". However, in "It's All About God", Quincy sings "it's not about what you're going through. . .it's not about the President, not even the Police". So, there is clear evidence of grace at work there. Musically the CD covers the whole sweep of black American music, so my R&B label may be a bit misleading. We also have funk (the Prince-like "You Don't Know"), up-tempo gospel ("In God's Will"), jazz (the Stevie Wonder-ish "What's He Done For Others") and a couple of big ballads (although "I Love You Lord" tends to meander and serves to show the limitations of Quincy's singing). A bit of editing would have made for a more consistent record, but there's still a lot to enjoy for black music fans. I think the President probably got off a bit lightly in the writing though!

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.