- Plain & Simple
- Say Yeah
- Best Thing
- Midnite
- I Will Trust (intro)
- I Will Trust
- Great God
- No Looking Back
- Crossing Over
- Don't Leave Me Lonely
- Torn Up
- I Won't Complain
- Pray
- No Looking Back (pop gospel mix)
If one were to list the key artists who gave rise to urban gospel music in the last decade, most would probably list the usual suspects—Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, Yolanda Adams. Another that deserves to be included in that bunch is Damita, even though her impressive self-titled major label debut failed to make as big of waves in the industry. Vocally, Damita is no Yolanda, but her first disc proved she was every bit as sassy, spirit-led, and self-assured. Her gifting is more delicate and understated—a quiet storm that could go from a fragile whisper to a thunderous, soaring soprano.
Perhaps
Like the music of her husband, recording artists Deitrick Haddon, Damita favors the urban side of the gospel spectrum. She refrains from waxing churchy or melismatic, instead making a conscious effort to skew younger by remaining true to the music she loves, namely, uncomplicated yet extremely effective urban pop. Her style is melodic to the core—urban in approach but unabashedly pop, like a Christian version of Rihanna (except Damita could sing circles around her).
Amid the thumping beds and the top-rate production, the heart of Damita shines. She doesn't get lost in the hotness of the beats, letting instead her voice do the talking, no matter if she's tackling airy pop ("Great God"), calypso-flavored worship ("Best Thing"), Janet-styled urban jams ("Torn Up"), organic acoustic soul ("Midnite"), classic R&B ("Pray"), or a knockout, guitar-laced cover of a gospel hit ("I Won't Complain").
Since the title makes it seem like Damita has every intention to keep on making music, let's hope