Anointed By God

Self-Titled

One Voice Media (2012)

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog

Hailing from West Memphis, Arkansas, across the river from the Bluff City, Anointed By God (ABG) is a group of young adults whose energy and spirit earned them a Stellar Award in 2013 for Children’s Project of the Year.

The members of ABG are not children, but gospel CDs featuring youth can still be tricky.  Fourteen-year-old Aretha Franklin notwithstanding, voices in training take time to navigate the curlicues and sonority required of gospel singers.  The church is an ideal place to grow in one’s vocal ability—whether as a soloist or as part of the youth choir—because a supportive congregation will applaud the attempt as well as the accomplishment.  Recordings, on the other hand, are not always so forgiving to gospel artists learning their craft.

What makes Anointed By God’s self-titled CD work is that the singers stay within their comfortable range.  They do not try to over sing, sound older, or embellish where embellishment is extraneous.  In other words, they don’t have what I call “American Idol-itis.”  The end result sounds natural and the product of capably trained vocalists who are confident in the studio environment.

The voices, individually and collectively, are indeed lovely.  They get assistance from Tiana Haynes, co-writer of some of the compositions, whose sweet lead buoys the group’s single, “Tribute to You.”  The quartet-fueled Lisa Knowles brings her estimable traditional power to bear during her assist on “I’ll Be,” a current favorite on Yes Lord Radio.  Electronic beats bolster the up-tempo numbers.

Lyrically, the songs offer what one would expect of young adults: praise, prayer, and deliverance from troubles that plague the terrifying teenage years.  While the interstitial skits will appeal more to the younger demographic, the songs—especially the energetic theme song—have a pleasant innocence.  Anointed By God is brief but it delivers.

Picks: “Tribute to You,” “I’ll Be.”