Reviewed by Kwaku

This is for those who like their gospel music unadulterated, upfront, with a homely feel-safe quality. Tamika, who has a fine voice, starts off with the middle-of-the-road synthy-strings-backed title track. But then she flips her style with the funky and swingy grooved cut, “Be Strong”, which compares well with any of today’s secular R&B offerings. Next, Tamika sounds like she’s in her home church, as she belts out her adaptation of “Since I Met Jesus”, backed by a choir. Another change of style beckons with “Move On Up A Little Higher” which has a jazzy backing underpinning the encouraging good message. And if you weren’t to listen closely to the next track, “Since He Came”, you could easily mistake it for a fine romantic ballad by any of the American soul music’s best female voices. Half the album, and Tamika’s shown her versatility across various musical soundscapes, over which there are two constants: celebration of the Christian faith and demonstration of a fine and versatile voice. Whilst there are a couple of funky cuts, Tamika’s forte are the powerful ballads, such as “Sweet Hour Of Prayer” and “Mustard Seed Faith”.

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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