Light Records Gospel Legacy: Commissioned (tbgb review)

Commissioned
Gospel Legacy Series
Light Records 2008
www.lightrecords.com

Remember these guys?

For those who came of age during the 1990s, or first embraced gospel music during this time, it may be difficult to understand just how influential Commissioned was during the 1980s. At that time, Commissioned and the Winans Family spun gospel music around and pushed it forward into the modern RnB age. Today, nearly every artist in urban contemporary gospel owes a debt of gratitude to these music pioneers.

Think about some of the members of Commissioned. Fred Hammond, who came out of the Winans aggregation to organize the group. Commissioned’s co-founder Michael Brooks. Marvin Sapp. With such talents aboard, no wonder the group hit it big.

True, Commissioned’s hit records haven’t aged as well as those of the Winans or the Hawkins Family, largely because the group embraced the synth-soaked funk arrangements and jerky polyrhythms that defined the 80’s now-campy RnB and pop scenes, but it is hard to detract from the opus of these true innovators. Light Records, which produced the group’s debut LP in 1985, has mined its vaults to assemble a Commissioned retrospective as part of its Gospel Legacy Series.

Present on the retrospective is the lovely bongo-driven hit ballad, “Ordinary Just Won’t Do,” which showcases Commissioned’s tight, complex harmonies. Prince/Minneapolis Sound influence is evident in the polyrhythmic “You Keep On Blessing Me.” “Running Back to You” is a passionate worship ballad that showcases the songwriting skills of Fred Hammond. Today, Hammond is spoken about with the same kind of reverence that James Cleveland and Mattie Moss Clark enjoyed in their heyday.

As Bil Carpenter’s liner notes explain, Clark took a chance in booking the group when nobody else would, and thus helped launch their careers. We owe thanks to Clark and the Detroit COGIC community for pushing the African American sacred music envelope, and ensuring its continued relevance to emerging generations, by endorsing Commissioned and the Winans.

Two and a Half of Four Stars