| Length: | 44:25 |
|---|---|
| Producers: | Michael English and Jay DeMarcus |
| Cuts: | John The Revelator |
| Blessed Assurance | |
| Midnight Cry | |
| Up Above My Head | |
| Go Rest High On That Mountain | |
| Gospel Ship | |
| Had It Not Been | |
| Dig A Little Deeper | |
| I Bowed On My Knees And Cried Holy | |
| I Surrender All |
Michael English gets his hands a little dirty on Gospel, the first Christian release in five years for the former Artist Of The Year Dove Award recipient. All great vocalists should let their hair down once in a while and cover some classics in a loose, or perhaps "let loose" style. English doesn't dissappoint. If you were expecting a high dollar, slick studio project, you'll have to wait for the next one, promised to be a pure pop effort in the vein of Hope. Then again, the response to Gospel may just sway his future pop work into a less precise, but more personable realm.
Gospel contains an even split of ballads and pep with little middle ground. Billed as a response to requests, concert goers should recoginize most of the tunes included on Gospel. "John The Revelator" has been given a Southern Rock treatment with Terry McMillan's harmonica wailing. "Blessed Assurance" is in a gospel 12/8 rhythm. There's a new version of "I Bowed On My Knees And Cried Holy" included that English has said will probably be his final rendering of that tune on a recording. (He'll naturally continue to perform it in concert.) The inspirational highlight of the album is saved for track 10, though. The traditional hymn "I Surrender All" never sounded better. The most unique arrangement has to be "Gospel Ship" with, no kidding, a George Clintonesque funk treatment. "Midnight Cry," "Go Rest High On That Mountain," and "Had It Not Been" are given more or less standard treatments. The only dissappointment for those who have attended English's concerts during the last year and a half is that the moving arrangement of "I'd Rather Have Jesus" that has thrilled audiences since his return to singing Christian music is not included on Gospel.
Like Russ Taff's recording Under Their Influence from a few years ago, Gospel pays tribute to roots. Although there are only a few occassions where the music of Gospel and Under Their Influence is similar, the two projects are nonetheless unified by their respect for the past and emotional fervor of both artists. It took a superb effort to capture those moments for others to share.