Debra Ashley – New Birth

Debra Ashley

Habakkuk Music, Inc. 2010

www.habakkukmusic.com

It took the appearance of an angel in a dream to convince Debra Ashley that singing was her calling. 

Perhaps it was this apparition, and the life transformation that followed, which inspired the title of Ashley’s sophomore CD, New Birth, now available on April Washington-Essex’s Habakkuk Music.

Certainly a portion of the album’s lyrics speak to the importance of hanging on to one’s faith, whether to achieve a goal, realize a dream or just make it through the day.  The best example on the album is the current single, “Do It Afraid.”  It is a delicate, lovely and instructional ballad that encourages listeners to move toward their destiny (e.g., new birth) with courage, knowing that God has their back.  Likewise, “He’s Able” urges one to “hold on, be strong” for the same reason, while “Weather the Storm” cloaks the message in metaphor.

While Ashley wrote most of the songs for the album, she was more than ably assisted by Grammy, Dove and Stellar Award-winners Fred Hammond and Kevin Bond, who produce their own compositions on New Birth: “Weather the Storm” and “So Thankful,” respectively.

“Do It Afraid” is the CD’s strongest track, though “I Found Love” and “A Letter to God” are musically similar to the single.  The former is a love song to Jesus (suitable as a wedding song) and the latter is about exactly what its title suggests.  Like “Do It Afraid,” both illustrate Ashley’s penchant for delicately wrapping her candy-delicious soprano around a set of lyrics as if she is singing to an audience of you.

Musically, New Birth is polished smooth and refined, with musicians that give the contents a quiet storm groove, which fits quite well with Ashley’s urban AC vocals.

Albums such as Debra Ashley’s New Birth confirm my belief that gospel ought to be called the music of “encouragement and inspiration,” a more proactive moniker, rather than “hope and inspiration” or “love and inspiration.”  If we ever needed encouragement, it’s today.

gPod Picks:  “Do It Afraid,” “I Found Love.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.