Sounds like … traditional, Chicago-style gospel music in the vein of the legendary Thompson Community Singers, joined with contemporary R&B and praise and worshipAt a glance … on their third major-label release, this extremely gifted choir provides a shining example of what's right with gospel musicTrack Listing- New Direction
- I'm Gonna Wave My Hands
- This Is the Day
- Heal the Land
- Heal the Land Reprise
- I'm in Love With Jesus
- Fire
- A Song
- Hands Up
- Rain
- I Give You Praise
- I Can Make It
- Thank You
- I'm Ready (Bonus Track)
- Have Your Way (Bonus Track)
When Chicago-based brothers Jeral and Percy Gray started New Direction, the idea was to bring the gospel to young people through music. Now, 10 years later, the 43-member choir has turned that mission around: They're young people taking their music, and the gospel, to the world.
New Direction has one of the cleanest sounds you'll hear in a gospel choir. Members know how to let the elements of the song convey the message-to allow the cooperative interplay between music, vocals, lyrics, lead, arrangements, and diction to do the work. That delicate balance is really what distinguishes a recording-quality choir from your average church choir, and it's evident under the Grays' leadership. The fact that most members are young adults-between the ages of 16 and 24-makes their channeled exuberance even more impressive.
Highlights of Rain include the reflective title track, an easy listen replete with tasteful, jazzy lead, silky background vocals and pensive strings; and "I'm in Love With Jesus." "Heal Our Land" is a moving plea for God's intervention in a broken world. On the mid-to-uptempo side, check out smooth, churchified grooves like "Fire" and the offertory-ready "Hands Up." If you listen carefully to the R&B-flavored "Song," you can hear hints of Earth Wind and Fire's Maurice White as the lead ad-libs toward the end. "Have Your Way" and "I Give You Praise" can double as praise-and-worship songs.
Rain is undoubtedly one of the strongest albums put out by a gospel choir in recent years. It's worth picking up, just so you'll know what your church choir can aspire to. It's familiar without being cliché-ridden, energized without being showy, and up-to-the-minute without losing its churchiness.
