SEISMIC SHIFT
Posted September 24, 2008
By ChristianMusicPlanet,
Stand Out proves that Tye Tribbett is a talented ringmaster with a bit of ADD—a calculated songwriter with completely spontaneous live chops. Tribbett can wail like James Brown or bark like an evangelical drill sergeant marching his vocal group G.A. (Greater Anointing) tightly through tracks like the disc’s punchy, horn-accented title cut.
Just as quickly, the group can downshift into an updated neo-soul grove with young urban gospel star KiKi Sheard on “Look Up.” Other cameos include the shining jazzy vocals of Kim Burrell (“He Has Made Me Glad”). More than a few tracks, like “Hold On,” sound like they were built on the corner of “Kirk Franklin Boulevard” and “Israel & New Breed Avenue.”
Tribbett, unlike other artists who flirt with gospel music boundaries, never looks over his shoulder to placate traditionalists with the obligatory conventional gospel or worship filler track. Musically, Tribbett’s unit is ready for anything, effortlessly shifting from muscular urban radio funk (“Good in the Hood”) to avant jazz gospel vamps (“I Made It Through”) to guitar pop melodies with approachable contemporary worship vocals (“Let Us Worship”). Stand Out may mark a seismic shift in worship and gospel music, one that hasn’t been seen since the mid-’90s halcyon days of urban gospel. –Anthony Barr-Jeffrey
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from Christian Music Planet. Click here to visit ChristianMusicPlanet.com today! View All Music And Book Reviews By ChristianMusicPlanet | View ChristianMusicPlanet's Profile
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