Committed 4 Christ – Committed 4 Christ

Committed 4 Christ
Committed 4 Christ
Maurla Publishing, Inc., 2009
www.cdbaby.com (available in late September ’09)

During the introduction of “Jesus, You’re the Best” on Committed 4 Christ’s self-titled debut CD/DVD combo, Pastor Randolph M. Thomas II tells the audience that saints don’t have to stop dancing just because they are saved: “you just change partners!”

This statement is an apt description of the Detroit gospel fusion group led by Rev. Thomas and Minister Kendrick Clements. Committed 4 Christ delivers a mix of R&B, jazz, rock and gospel with danceable episodes as well as ample helpings of dramatic praise and worship moments. The music features jagged rock-style guitar on one song and gentle acoustic picking on the next. There’s even what sounds like a harp or high-fretted guitar on “More Than a Conqueror.”

The singing is a combination of Pastor Thomas’ hard-shouting churchy leads and a full-throated wall of sound choir, all of which serve to heighten the tension and decibel level. Committed 4 Christ is especially skilled at stretching performances to build and release tension – nine tracks cover 70 minutes – but the singers and musicians also know how to provide cooling-down periods for those caught in the rapture. Appropriately, the album’s current single, “Psalms 51” has been edited for radio play.

The album, recorded before an appreciative audience at Greater Bethlehem Baptist Church in Detroit, is crisply produced and cries out to be enjoyed at maximum volume. A DVD featuring documentary like behind-the-scenes interviews with the group and music videos is available, as well.

Committed 4 Christ is an innovative group from a city that has produced its share of innovators over the past several decades.

Four of Five Stars