In a nutshell: Donnie McClurkin made a big deal of his would-be retirement from gospel music in 2005, only to pull a Jay-Z and keep as busy as ever. His fourth Verity disc, We All Are One (Live in Detroit), proves why he simply must stay active: only a few in the genre do things with as much gravitas, worshipfulness, and attention to detail as he does. When it comes to top-flight contemporary gospel, the minister leaves no stone unturned and offers a near-spotless crop of self-penned praise anthems, ballads, and singalongs that simply beg to be heard in local sanctuaries. McClurkin tries a bit hard to be all things to all people—like breaking out the Spanish or attempting to go the CCM route, but, like Jay-Z, he's not just any artist; he's a shot-caller.
