Reviewed by Tom Lennie

Gospel veteran and pastor John P Kee established the Victory In Praise Choir back in 1990 who have subsequently appeared on a host of gospel recordings. It occurred to the good pastor to use his Victory In Praise conference to create a solid platform for some of the innumerable up and coming gospel artists trying to make a breakthrough in this genre. That's the inspiration behind this release which features 18 tracks, each by a different singer/group/choir. If you think that a swathe of relative newcomers could only serve to create a rather weak and uninspiring set, then think again. A remarkable professionalism attends these sounds, and excellent production to the recording as a whole. Within an overall gospel framework the styles and sounds on this record are not only fresh, but also remarkably diverse. For example, there's big choir sounds - such as Andre Nance Jnr & Greater Praise ("What A Mighty God"); inspirational: Jermaine Sellers ("I'm Taking My Life Back"); rap: Debra Perry & Majestic ("No Not One"); and even calypso: Lil' Rufus ("I'll Be Praying"). An excellent sampler of some possible top gospel names of tomorrow.

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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