TBGB Reviews…The New Life Community Choir feat. John P. Kee

Nothing But Worship
The New Life Community Choir feat. John P. Kee
Zomba Recording 2007
www.johnpkee.com
www.myspace.com/johnpkee

When John P. Kee and the North Carolina-based New Life Community Choir burst onto the gospel scene in the mid 1990s, garnering as many awards as can be packed into a trophy case, legions of male-led small choirs sprouted up in their wake.

The growth of what might be called small ensemble gospel continues yet today, so the question is: is one of the aggregations that started the trend still holding up? Nothing But Worship proves that Kee and New Life are just as impactful as ever.

This latest project by the New Life Community Choir is no-nonsense contemporary gospel with all the elements that propelled the group to success in 1995: a powerful, full-throttle, in-your-face sound featuring booming, driving beats, sing-along lyrics, and a talented group of singers, any one of whom can be (and is) called to the plate to solo. In other words, Kee’s bench is strong.

“Right Now Praise,” the first single to be pulled from the album, is an example of this classic Kee sound, as is “I Know It,” “Come On Let’s Worship,” and “Build a House,” the latter punctuated by Kee’s unearthly high whoos.

Fred Hammond joins Kee for a fine duet on “Oh Lord, Our God,” although the real crowd pleaser is “It Shall Be,” with its gospel hymn feel and more high-pitched holy shouts. “I’m Waiting” has a quartet vibe to it, a worthy tribute to the choir’s Carolina home that has produced innumerable amateur and professional quartets in the past eighty-plus years.

Nothing But Worship demonstrates that innovators are hard to beat at their own game when they are on, and New Life is definitely still on.

Three and a Half of Four Stars