Reviewed by Trevor Kirk When Hezekiah and The Love Fellowship Crusade Choir (as they then were) were establishing themselves on the gospel scene, they would peregrinate around the place, recording live albums in Atlanta, Toronto and London amongst other places. For this one, Hezza and the LFT Mob are on home turf in Brooklyn, and serve up 12 tracks, over 66 minutes of music, and it's the tried and tested formula: plenty of meaty choir vocals, fiery solos and a pumping band underpinning the whole thing. One intriguing credit regarding the band, and a female trumpet player named Syreeta - is this the former Mrs Stevie Wonder? She can blow a mean horn, that's for sure. But I digress. I suppose that someone's doing something right, because Hez and his pals are hugely popular, but for me this album only comes alive when the choir takes its collective foot off the gas and a righteous sista gets the chance to wrap her tonsils round a swoopy soul opus - "You Have Been Right There" is a good example, featuring lead vocals by Denise Hayward. However, another thing I'm not happy about: this is supposed to be a live album, but half the time there's no congregation to be heard, and the songs fade out like a studio recording. This has its moments; Hez fans will lap it up.
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Sample Track Listing: |
1. |
The Battle |
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