Here I Am – Marvin Sapp

Marvin Sapp
Here I Am
Verity Records 2010
(CD and DVD release date: March 16, 2010)
www.verityrecords.com

It is unfair to do what we reviewers are wont to do: compare Marvin Sapp’s newest CD, Here I Am, to his multi-Stellar Award-winning Thirsty and its mega-hit, “Never Would Have Made It.”

Following Thirsty with an album of equal or greater power would have been miraculous, but Here I Am comes as close as is humanly possible. Produced by Aaron Lindsey with vocal direction by Myron Butler, Here I Am is Sapp, former member of Commissioned, sounding on top of the world, doing what he does best: leading a live congregation in a rousing praise and worship service with alternately plaintive and tender pastoral moments peppered throughout.

The opening tracks are fairly standard contemporary gospel fare, though “Wait” is a body-swaying congregation rouser with an infectious beat. Patiently waiting for the Lord’s blessings is the message of “Wait” and a theme also echoed in “He Has His Hands On You.”

By “He Has His Hands On You,” Sapp has slowed the praise party atmosphere down momentarily to deliver some plain, mother-wit ministering. Several songs in a row benefit from his everyman theology. For example, the inspirational “Don’t Count Me Out” (i.e., “if you don’t see what God sees”), is an excellent selection for youth groups and choirs. “The Best In Me” is the album’s first single and it hit number one with a speeding bullet shortly after its release. Here, Sapp sings: “He saw the best in me/When everyone else around could only see the worst in me.” The live audience responds with emotional shouts of empathy.

The title track is tuneful, hopeful and radio friendly, and the mid-tempo “Praise You Forever” rides on a dramatic piano ostinato reminiscent of Coldplay’s “Clocks.”

Here I Am stands on its own as a well-produced, supremely-paced example of the Marvin Sapp ministry. Listeners looking for the next “Never Would Have Made It” on the album may not find it, but hopefully they won’t miss the forest for the trees.

Five of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “The Best In Me,” “Wait,” “Don’t Count Me Out,” “Here I Am.”

Review by Bob Marovich of The Black Gospel Blog