Dave's Review

Tribute: The Songs of Andrae Crouch: Various Artists (Warner Alliance)

To mention one of the featured artists on Tribute without mentioning the rest would be a case of gross neglect, so a list follows: CeCe Winans, Michael W. Smith, Twila Paris, Bryan Duncan, Wayne Watson, The Winans, Clay Crosse, Take 6, The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, First Call, and Crouch himself with an "All-star Choir." Highlights include the traditional "Take Me Back" featuring CeCe Winans, "The Blood Will Never Lose It's Power" with Clay Crosse giving the vocals the "power," Bryan Duncan's horn infested take on "It's Gonna Rain," and the pure pop version of "Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus" by First Call. My personal favorite, however, features a cappella superstars, Take 6, doing a snappy little "walking bass-line" version of "This Is Another Day."

The album closes with Crouch singing "My Tribute." BeBe Winans, Kim Rutherford, Patti Austin, Susan Ashton, and Wayne Watson trade lead vocals with him and a diverse choir (with Vestal Goodman and Guardian representing the extremes in diversity) backs them singing the powerful chorus, "to God be the glory for the things He has done." Producer David Pack has every right to be proud of this track, a fitting close to a great album.

I'm glad that the powers that be at Warner Alliance saw fit to create this tribute during Crouch's lifetime. I particularly enjoyed reading Crouch's comments about the new arrangements of his songs. Crouch has penned some timeless lyrics over the years, and the tribute is well deserved. I only hope he'll produce enough quality material to warrant a second tribute before he passes on to Heaven.