Marjane’Grateful
J Jane Music Group (2012)
By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.
Stellar-nominated singer-songwriter Marjane’ (pron. Mar-Jan-Ay) of Hawthorne, California, wrote that her new eleven-song project, Grateful, “is part of a journey that’s had some rough and joyous times.”
From the opening and title track, the album pays tribute to that journey, although the tenor of the project, lyrically and musically, leans toward gratitude for the overcoming.
The opening salvo of shoulder-shaking gratitude commences a string of cool down praise songs rendered in Marjane’s confident, pop-inflected voice and bathed in laid-back urban AC. The album includes her recent single, “Walking In Favor,” on which she longs to walk under the protection of the Most High.
Gratefulprovides Marjane’ fans with the breezy, West Coast inspirational grooviness that marks her music, but at the same time, it remains firmly in place without offering glimpses of the creative envelope-pushing of which the winsome singer seems capable. Two exceptions are “You Can Do It” and “Beautiful You.” Featuring gospel rapper Survivor Que, “You Can Do It” is the inspirational ode its title suggests, and the melody is equally compelling. “Beautiful You,” which closes the project, is a heartwarming ballad of feminine affirmations that would have had even more impact had it been placed earlier in the album’s sequence.
Interestingly, the one-minute “Oh Medley” would make a fine introduction to a song. I’ve listened to this snippet three times now, and each time I expect a song to begin. Perhaps in the future this intro will be matched with an equally compelling melody.
Marjane’s West Coast praise style is well represented on Grateful, though her 2009 project, Won’t Let Go, still represents her finest work to date.
Three of Five Stars
Picks: “You Can Do It,” “Beautiful You.”
Written by : Bob Marovich
Bob Marovich is a gospel music historian, author, and radio host. Founder of Journal of Gospel Music blog (formally The Black Gospel Blog) and producer of the Gospel Memories Radio Show.
Visit Today : 449
This Month : 11603