Micah Stampley has a global vision for spreading the gospel and showing the love of Jesus Christ to a hurting world. Music is the universal language and on One Voice, he issues an invitation to sing along. It’s an offer that’s too good to miss.
Micah brings each track on the CD vibrantly to life—from the thumping, joyful world-beat of “Hosanna,” to the emotional ballad, “Overcome and Worthy,” to “Shout,” a celebratory, praise and worship song that calls believers to action because of their victory in Jesus Christ, which is a song that will resound in congregations around the globe.
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Groove-driven Gospel at its Best| Posted August 29, 2011
Micah Stampley is no stranger to the world of gospel music. Since winning the 2004 Stellar Award Gospel Music competition, he went on to record multiple albums on Dexterity Sounds (a label founded by none other than Bishop T.D. Jakes), before recently forming a partnership with the label Music World Entertainment, who currently houses some of the biggest mainstream urban and gospel acts in the business.
With all his many successes, it’s hard to believe that this grown-up preacher’s kid who started conducting church choirs at the age of seven, began his life in the least likely of circumstances. Growing up in tumultuous neighborhood, he witnessed a shooting outside his home at the age of nine, and went on to see two of his brothers meet the same fate.
Despite the tragedy surrounding his younger years, he wasn’t going to let that stop him from living out the calling he knew God placed on his life, saying of his childhood, “I refused to become a part of my environment. I didn’t know that this would happen for me, but what I did know is that I loved God. I really truly loved the Lord Jesus Christ and I just felt there was something more for me than what I was seeing and experiencing.”
With his upbringing in mind, Micah Stampley’s mission in life is to bring the love of Christ to a hurting world through the power music, and his latest album, One Vo1ce, shares that message beautifully.
“Heaven On Earth” starts the album off with a classic gospel music feel, then takes you into the upbeat track “Shout.” Micah is known for his unique style of music, having grown up listening to diverse acts from Jackson 5 to Michael W. Smith. This song showcases that greatly. It’s worship and groove-driven gospel at it’s best.
The bass driven “Hosanna” is sure to become a favorite among listeners with its powerful lyrics and funky beat. The short but beautiful “Prophetic Interlude,” a personal prayer which could be seen as the reprise of the previous track, leads you directly into “Overcome,” a cover of the beloved Jon Egan/Desperation Band worship song that has captivated and moved worshipers since its release back in 2008. It’s a fantastic edition to this album and I’m sure many will be happy to hear it.
“Worthy” highlights the passion found in Stampley’s praise, while “Desperate People”--the standout track on this album musically--speaks out about how we as the body of Christ needed to be living our lives above average. It‘s a perfect representation of Stampley’s out-of-the-box, wonderfully creative style of worship. “Search For You” speaks about the desperation of humanity and the saving power of our God while another spoken prayer interlude is a serenade to the Lord Himself.
Picking up the pace once more is “High Praise,” a high-energy, fun song. “Crucified” sings of the unfathomable sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross, and how we now have eternal life because of what He did for us. “Call Of Love” with an anthemic rock feel is a song that could very easily get airtime on Christian radio--a rarity for gospel music--and is lyrically my favorite track on the record. The message of that song is how we need to answer God’s call on our lives and the love people around us as He would: "for the shamed / let my heart burn with a flame / let me be the conduit of perfect love.”
The title track, “One Voice,” talks about the diversity found in the human race---from our skin tone to our style--but declares that despite all our differences, when we join together to praise God, we all become one. The album comes to an end much like it began with “We Need The Lord”, another classic gospel song that is sure to leave the listener stirred about their faith and challenged to go into the world and change it for Christ.
Closing Thoughts:
After hearing One Vo1ce, I can see why Micah Stampley is fast becoming one of the most respected leaders in the gospel music community. No two songs on this album sound the same. Stampley’s craftsmanship, along with his lyrics (co-penned by his wife and partner, Heidi Stampley) are sure to leave you moved to the core and lead you into a passionate time of praise to our Creator. This album is a prefect representation of who Micah Stampley is, and it’s one that gospel music lovers of both old and new are not going to want to pass up.
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