TBGB Pick of the Week: March 19, 2006

“Don’t Judge My Praise”
Rodnie Bryant, featuring Wanda Nero-Butler and CCMC
from the Tyscot album Change of Seasons
Tyscot 2005
www.tyscot.com

“Don’t Judge My Praise” demonstrates why some of the most exciting music still comes from a gospel chorus in full sonic flight. It’s a church-wrecking workout with Indianapolis’ CCMC (Christian Community Mass Choir) hand clapping and singing the glory down for more than six minutes behind hard-singing lead vocalist Wanda Nero-Butler. By the end of the performance, Nero-Butler has just about sung herself into a musical frenzy.

The CD from which this cut is taken, Change of Seasons, is worth a listen for more than just the powerful concluding song. Rodnie Bryant serves as an omnipresent musical master of ceremonies on this album as a cavalcade of soloists and choruses perform, giving the listener the feeling of being at a Saturday evening gospel program. In truth, the tracks featuring the ensemble Yet Unseen were recorded live, the overall ambience augmented by the audience’s intimacy with the performers. By the way, the audience’s presence is heard not as canned, polite applause at the conclusion of each song but ever-present with exhortations and excited interjections throughout. The communality of the audience and artist is why live recordings of gospel singing work so well.

At one point, Bryant declares IYGMC (Indy’s Youth Gospel Music Camp) to be one of the best young choirs in the business, and I couldn’t agree more. With the exception of “Don’t Judge My Praise,” headed by CCMC, the most electrifying tracks on the project are those on which IYGMC performs – notably “Say the Word” and Hear My Cry.”

The only distractions on this otherwise truly satisfying project are the choruses’ seeming compulsory use of incremental key changes to build intensity, and the lack of attribution in the liner notes as to who IYGMC is (not everyone will know).

Although Change of Seasons was released last June, its music is timeless.