Minister Johnson – Thank You for Saving Me – Catalog, Vol. II

Minister Johnson
Thank You for Saving Me – Catalog Vol. II
Psalms Way Music Ministry (2011)
www.theministerjohnsoncatalog.com

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Minister of Music Lamont C. Johnson is a California singer-songwriter whose Thank You for Saving Me is the second audio CD to showcase his gospel and inspirational songs to other singers and musicians. Johnson and a handful of other professional vocalists perform the songs.

Johnson’s distinctiveness as a songwriter and artist can be heard in selections such as “Won’t Just Say I’m Saved,” which is a rollicking, vaudeville-like gospel with a strutting beat. Sounding like a cross between a preacher and stage impresario, Johnson declares he plans to “walk the walk,” then pokes good-naturedly at church folks who don’t, but act as if they do. In a manner reminiscent of Rev. Anderson Johnson on “God Don’t Like It,” Johnson interjects, “I don’t want to offend nobody,” after his playful inveigh.

Similarly, “God’s Time,” the finest track on the CD, could be subtitled “Church Lady Anthem.” It is an amusing, finger-shaking number about the importance of going to all-day Sunday worship regularly (“sleeping in is a sin, mamma told me that” and “coming to the church all late/tell me why you’re on time when you have a date”). “I’m Doing It God’s Way” features Johnson as a player stuck in a losing tug-of-war with a godly woman, played by Carla Fleming.

These three songs together have the makings of a fun and instructional gospel musical.

On the other hand, “There’s a Crown Waiting for Me” has a traditional quartet flavor, complete with Violinaires-style high harmonies, though its complex chord changes give it a jazz touch. The title track is a breezy finger-popping inspirational ballad of gratitude supported ably by the choir. Other songs are conventional contemporary gospel and inspirational, but the humorous and loving observations of church life are the real winners.

Minister Johnson is a member of St. Paul Baptist Church of Sacramento, California, where the pastor is Dr. Ephraim Williams. TBGB will review Vol. 1 of Johnson’s song catalog in a couple of weeks.

Three of Five Stars

Picks: “God’s Time,” “Won’t Just Say I’m Saved.”