Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Rudolph McKissick Jr has followed in the footsteps of his father (McKissick senior, as you may have guessed) by taking on the role of pastor of Bethel Baptist Institutional Church, Florida, the spiritual home for over 12,000 people. He's known as a teacher and worship leader, and this album gives an insight into his remarkable ministry. McKissick Jr has an impressive voice and the band is highly professional, directed by the excellent lead guitarist Rick Watford. The choir is generally very good, but is too low in the mix to represent their full power and there are some points where their intonation is out. The majority of the songs are good, particularly Maurice Rogers' funk-inspired "Set Me Free" and Darwin Jackson's energetic opening track, "Magnify". The bonus track, Troy Sneed's "Heaven", is quite possibly the best on the album, which is unusual for a bonus addition. However, not all the songs are up to the standard of these tracks, and some ramble repetitively without achieving anything special. In spite of these down points, overall this is a fairly good gospel album.

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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