Robert E. Person – Soul Sanctuary

Robert E. Person
Soul Sanctuary
REP Music (2011)
http://www.roberteperson.com/

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Robert E. Person is from Washington, DC but his voice is as big as Texas. His robust style – part gospel singer, part jazz balladeer – can be heard on his third CD, Soul Sanctuary.

Person’s vocal talent is a combination of talent, gift and hard work. He was a vocal performance student at Morehouse College and the University of the District of Columbia, has done extensive work in musical theater, served as background vocalist for artists such as George Benson and Kelly Price, and is a Cantor at Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Catholic Church in DC. He was tapped to perform at “Lift Every Voice…A Presentation of Performances Dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” part of the Martin Luther King Dedication Week activities in Washington last month.

In the mold of Daryl Coley and J. Robert “Mr. Baptist” Bradley, Person has a muscular resonance tailor-made for hymns, and his rendition of Tindley’s “Beams of Heaven” confirms this. “Beams” is a highpoint on a CD with many highpoints, including a sacred love/worship ballad called “You.” Also remarkable on Soul Sanctuary is the delicate, sensitive piano work of Allyn Johnson, whose jazzy solo on “Great is Thy Faithfulness” deserves its own applause.

Not all songs are inspirational ballads or hymns. For example, “Stand By Me” (not the Tindley version), is a pleasant, pop-flavored song. Person covers Donny Hathaway’s classic “Someday We’ll All Be Free,” which is well done and the album’s first single, but not nearly as powerful or interesting as when he has plenty of room to emote on a slow worship ballad, such as “The Glory You’re Due.”

The background vocalists and musicians are superb and can play/sing complex jazz when the arrangement calls for it. They give the songs a classy touch while endeavoring not to outshine Person’s solos, though I don’t know if that’s possible.

Soul Sanctuary is an indie project with major label personality.

Four of Five Stars

Picks: “The Glory You’re Due,” “Beams of Heaven,” “Stand by Me.”