TBGB Reviews…The McClurkin Project

On We Praise You, gospel superstar Donnie McClurkin hands the microphone to the female McClurkins (Andrea, Tanya, Cheri, and Olivia), and to “first member” Carol Carter. While Donnie chimes in from time to time – for example, lending his reassuring voice to “You’ll Be Fine” – it’s really Ladies Night at the Greater Allen AME Cathedral, where the CD was recorded in April, 2005.

The first two songs – the title track and “You are an Awesome God” – sets an excitingly upbeat and engaging tone for the project, while “As Long as There’s You” is a gospel power ballad with a lovely melody and theme that could be easily transformed into a wedding/love song by changing a couple of words.

The McClurkin Project also experiments musically on a couple of tracks. “His Mercy” features the enchanting Middle Eastern-sounding riffs and beats that appear on dance cuts these days, while “In the News Today” is bolstered by an urgent, staccato motive, written with tongue in cheek to sound like a self-important theme of a nightly newscast.

The only disappointing moment was “Precious Lord.” A song that Thomas Dorsey wrote from a wellspring of immense personal pain is presented here as a standard-issue paean. To me, “Precious Lord” is an expression of emotional heartache and divine deliverance. It is not a vehicle for praise and worship, nor should it be set to a neo-disco beat.

Overall, however, We Praise You has plenty to be thankful for, most of which is the showcasing of the depth of talent that resides within the McClurkin camp.

Three and a Half of Four Stars