Reviewed by Andy Cooper

VaShawn has previously had success as a songwriter, penning for the likes of Smokie Norful and Karen Clark-Sheard, so the songs here are all strong. 'Promises' is Vashawn's second album. He still may be young, but already he has several years' experience as a music minister and choir leader at the huge Sweet Holy Spirit Church in Chicago. His confidence is evident in the way he shares the lead with various soloists. These guests are unfortunately not named song by song, but I would guess that Kim Burrell is the deliverer of the belting solo in the soaring "Over & Over". VaShawn's style is a mix of the more traditional gospel of Byron Cage with a good dose of funk à la Kirk Franklin, so it sits within a vat of similar offerings from other artists, but few can match the vocal class, the maturity of the writing and the intensity of team-work between choir and band (hear how they echo and mirror each other during the opener "Crazy Praise"). Mitchell has evidently collected a bunch of friends worth keeping for life.

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.