- Listen
- I Need You
- I Will Lift
- Reflection
- Love
- God's Triangle
- Soul is Anchored
- I Still Love You
- I Want to Go Back
- U Saved Me
- Like U
- Beautiful Girl
In Christian music, storms have often been the go-to metaphor for "weathering" hard times. It's effective imagery, but hardly original—and when phrased badly, just begging to be labeled as a cliché by a music critic.
Trin-i-tee 5:7's first album in four years is an unexpected exception to the rule. In the case of members Chanelle Haynes and Angel Taylor, a storm (by the name of Katrina) literally ripped their hometown of New Orleans apart in 2005, providing the emotional basis for an album about enduring life's hard times. (Incidentally, third member Adrian Anderson comes from Sacramento.)
The group's goosebump-inducing rendition of Douglas Miller's spiritual "My Soul is Anchored" effectively sets the tone on T57 with a fitting reminder of who gives us hope in the most hopeless times. Similarly, "I Need You" and "I Will Lift" are worshipful confirmations of our constant need for God's intervention.
That resolve also carries over into songs about relationships. With the conviction of someone who's truly been there, "I Still Love You" is a soulful cry from a woman who can't get over her man, no matter how hard she tries. And "Like U," penned by Beyonce's little sister Solange, effectively places romance in the proper perspective of a believer's life.
Along with the personalized songwriting perspective, Trin-i-tee 5:7 delivers the goods vocally. But the music is just a little too disjointed, tackling everything from soul and R&B to hip-hop and worship. Spanning the genres can provide a welcome variety in stylistic texture, but here some of the songs just seem out of place. Is poor song sequencing to blame, or were the girls just overly ambitious? Maybe it just doesn't matter when it's performed this well, because all things considered, T57 is the trio's best work yet.