Carlton Fellows – Just Givin’ Praise

Carlton Fellows
Just Givin’ Praise
Total Praise Music 2006
(216) 253-5250

You may know Carlton Fellows from his songwriting (GMWA Women of Worship, e.g.), from his leadership as a choir director, as a singer, or from all three categories. No matter how you know him, you will agree that the Cleveland, Ohio artist has a knack for combining traditional and contemporary gospel in a way that pleases enthusiasts from both camps.

What Fellows has going for him, most of all, is his powerful and dramatic voice. This, along with three of his compositions, are present on his solo CD, Just Givin’ Praise.

Originally released in 2006 but still in print, Just Givin’ Praise demonstrates that Fellows can match high-energy background vocalists with drive and vigor, but also render the more contemplative gospel ballad. For example, “Call Him” riffs on “Jesus is on the Mainline” with a deliciously retro feeling in its funky bass lines, while “He’s Never Failed Me Yet” showcases Fellows’ more churchy style.

The churchy songs are where Fellows is at his best. He delivers gospel songs flatfooted in a husky and expressive baritone that meets the improvisational nuances and dynamics that make for engaging and interactive performances. “God Will Take Care of You,” “How I Want the Lord to Find Me,” and “It Will Be Worth It All” are three examples on Just Givin’ Praise where the bigness of Fellows voice astonishes. His vocal arrangements for the album are also superb, clearly the product of years of choral arranging in Cleveland, the city that produced none other than the Wings Over Jordan.

Three of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “How I Want the Lord to Find Me.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.