Shekinah Glory Ministry – Jesus (Kingdom Records 2007)

Shekinah Glory Ministry
Jesus
Kingdom Records 2007
www.kingdomrecordsinc.com

Praise (and worship) is what Shekinah Glory Ministry does. On record and video, and in live performance, they are praise and worship’s current gold standard.

Visual as well as aural, the troupe from Valley Kingdom Ministries International in south suburban Chicago contains a cast of exalters, standard bearers, minstrels, kingdom horn players, karar dancers, the talented Daniel Weatherspoon as music director, psalmist Phil Tarver and Senior Pastor Apostle H. Daniel Wilson as master of ceremonies. The group’s auspicious debut, Praise Is What I Do (2001), was followed by a succession of single-title hits, namely the breathtaking “Yes” (with Minister Valencia Lacy) from their sophomore release Shekinah Glory Ministry Live! in 2004 and “Jesus” and “Stomp” from this, their third CD, recorded on “Resurrection Sunday Night,” April 8, 2007.

The first of the two-disc Jesus is the finer of the two, as its musical and emotional pacing is nigh perfect. The introductory music, lapping and gently encouraging, gives way to a slowly building barrage of military metaphors, as worship warriors get psyched up to wage war with the devil and gain victory over the enemy.

The apex of this activity is the hit single “Stomp,” with its irrepressible rhythm (imagine Morris Day meets House of Pain) and effective call-and-response between leader and choir. The Devil’s Head is thoroughly pulverized underneath the thundering march-like beat of lock-step feet. Mission accomplished, the troupe holds a praise party for much of the remainder of Disc One, singing one high-energy song after another. Among this mix, “Worthy” is particularly memorable because of a curious Middle Eastern motif woven within. The disc concludes with a three minute peaceful storm of a cappella praise from the assembly.

Disc Two picks up where the final cut of Disc One left off. That is, it is an extended cool-down during which passionate praying alternates with subtle but emotional personal release. An elongated new age jam session by the Minstrels on “Enthroned” sets the musical mood, and the choir’s lovely praise piece, “I Need More,” provides vocal structure that leads into the hit single “Jesus.” “Jesus” is a hypnotic affirmation that eventually dissolves into a whisper that, during the “Final Release,” fades away completely. Never before on a gospel disc has sound so thoroughly evaporated as on Jesus. Energy evaporates like the blinking dot of light on an old television set.

In many respects, the audio CD Jesus feels like an original soundtrack recording, one that integrates both the sacred performance art of Shekinah Glory Ministry and the audience’s extemporaneous participation in the program.

Honestly, whether you are into praise and worship music or not, there’s nothing quite like Shekinah Glory Ministry. It’s a spectacular exhibition of concurrent color, light, sound, movement and rapture that praises God while it inspires and entertains the multitudes. View the video for maximum effect.

Three and a Half of Four Stars