CJ Ballance – If God Said It

CJ Ballance
If God Said It
Gospel Visions Entertainment (2010)
http://www.cjballance.com/

You know times have changed when a gospel singer can trace his first public performance to day care, singing the theme song to the television show featuring Barney, the purple dinosaur.

But that’s when Corey E. Ballance, Jr., known as CJ Ballance, first wowed a crowd and his parents knew he had a gift. Now fourteen, the contemporary gospel singer ministers to the congregation at Canaan Missionary Baptist Church in Ahoskie, North Carolina. The dapper young chap with a winning smile already has two CD projects under his belt.

If God Said It is Ballance’s sophomore project. The title track and “This Too Shall Pass” are the strongest of the album’s ten selections. Their lyrics encourage listeners, young and old, to put their trust in God and things will get better…’cause He said so.

The high point of the CD comes at the conclusion of “This Too Shall Pass,” when the young Ballance, whose voice has not yet changed from alto, hits a couple of head-shakingly impressive soprano top notes. Until Ballance’s voice changes, this could serve him well as his trademark technique. I was hoping to hear more of these glass-shatterers before the disc stopped spinning.

The musicians and background vocalists who support Ballance lay down a fundamentally sound contemporary gospel groove that doesn’t overwhelm or outshine the singer. All of the songs are original compositions written and arranged by the album’s producer, Thurman Lee of Gospel Visions Entertainment, though the album could have benefited from a couple of Baptist standards for solo voice with piano.

You can tell Ballance put his heart and soul into this recording and has potential. A recommendation I have –learned from years of living with a high school choir director — is for the singer to continue strengthening his diaphragm muscles and practice singing long lines of music from his diaphragm.  This will ensure optimal breath control and prevent vocal strain and fatigue.  Ballance delivers pleasantly clear notes when they are fully supported, so the foundation is there.

Needless to say, I’m sure we will be hearing more from CJ Ballance in the future.

Three of Five Stars

Picks: “If God Said It,” “This Too Shall Pass.”