|
|
This month we take
you to Bridgeville, Pennsylvania and introduce to some and present to others
Ministree.
Their 2006 recording, which is the subject of this review, is titled His
Ministree. This CD was released in December 2006 by NPower Records
and Entertainment Company. It is the group's freshman recording and it It
is beginning to receive the attention it rightfully deserves.
The CD is a mixture of quartet and contemporary styles of gospel music.
Once you listen to the entire CD, we think you will agree that the CD tilts
heavy toward the gospel quartet genre. That should not be a surprise once
you realize that Ray Braswell, Jr. was the primary producer.
For those that may not be familiar with Ray Braswell, take a moment to
familiarize yourself with this extraordinary musician and producer. Many
have relied upon the talents of Ray. For instance,
Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson and The Spiritual Voices,
Damon Little,
The Jackson Sisters,
and
The Pilgrim Jubilees.
The number of recordings to which Ray has contributed his talents are too
numerous to mention in this review. It is safe to say, however, that he
has once again aided in the delivery of a very good CD.
Of course he had great singers to work with. The members of
Ministree
are Freda Clemons, Tonya Gilbert, Sheryl Jones-Ross, Joyce Wilson and Zanetta
Wingfield. They have been ministering together for about twenty (20)
years. This fact is reflected in the ease in which the group moves from
ballads to mid-tempo to up-beat songs. The group has the personnel to sing
whatever they desire.
As you listen to this CD you will readily realize that these ladies have taken
the best from gospel quartet groups (males and females) of the past, and many of
today's leading gospel singers and merge them to deliver a fresh and unique
style of their own. There is even a little rapping on one of the songs.
There are no hard hitting drive songs on this project. There are thirteen
(13) songs that will minister to you. All the songs were written by
members of the group, except for "Caught Up" and "For Our
Salvation," which were written by Anthony WIngfield. It is
apparent from the song selections and the arrangement to each that these ladies
were not interested in just singing. They wanted to minister to you.
As reflected in their name (Ministree) they sing to minister. They sing to
minister in His name. And they do just that with this CD.
It would not do justice to these ladies exceptional talents to say that they
sound like this group or that group. No, they have a very unique sound all
of their own. Listen closely to "Undercover Christian."
There are numerous songs on this CD that are worthy of special mention. The
title track "His Ministree" tells you why these ladies sing.
This song is a testimony that many should be able to sing. No matter what
God has called you to do, this song could be your testimony. What a
powerful song. "He is Mighty" is another awesome song.
There is certainly a message for everyone in this song. And, the message
is delivered with such ease that you want to embrace every word that is being sung.
Another song that you will want to take note of is "You Are Worthy."
This song may very well become a favorite of choirs around the country.
It should be noted that the instrumentation on all of the tracks compliments the
singers exceptionally well. The lead singers and the background singers
are definitely in sync throughout the project. The background harmony is
exceptional.
For the diehard quartet fan, give this CD a chance. Once you listen to the
songs and the strong message delivered by each, we think you will agree that
this is a good CD. As much as the ladies may be considered by some to have
a contemporary style, we would disagree and suggest that if you listen closely
to this CD you will recognize the heavy influence that Gospel Quartet music has
had on this group. From some of the runs, to the exchange between the lead
and background singers, to some of the arrangements, to the strong bass
guitar, there is no doubt that gospel quartet has influenced this group's music.
Not only is this a good CD, it deserves to be in your collection. You
should be able to
find this CD in your local record
store or at any of the major online retailers. We give
Ministree's
His Ministree an 8.5
out of 10. Click on the title to hear “Undercover
Christian." |
|
