The Nevels Sisters – It’s My Time (New Traditional Thump)

The Nevels Sisters
It’s My Time (New Traditional Thump)
Squeekey Entertainment/MoLife Entertainment (2011)
www.thenevelssisters.com

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

The Nevels Sisters – April, Debra, Gail and Veneice – have what it takes to be the new Clark Sisters. Individually and collectively talented and adorned with style, the sisters sparkle on their major label debut, It’s My Time.

They announce at the outset of the album that their particular brand of gospel music “is old school but new school,” and that the “new traditional thump” is, among other things, a rhythmic “kick.” Before the listener can become quizzical about what they mean exactly, here comes the kick: an electrified, sanctified backbeat that the Nevels introduce on the opening and title track. Crackling with Trin-i-tee 5:7 pulse-pounding energy and yet grounded in gospel-fied tight harmonies, “It’s My Time” is one of the album’s best selections.

What’s especially gratifying about the album is that the Nevels Sisters aren’t kidding. They skillfully blend the traditional and the contemporary to gratify both camps. For example, “God Please Do It Again” benefits not only from a traditional vibe but also thought-provoking lyrics about how blessings previously bestowed are needed once again to help a new generation of young women suffering from the same malady: low self-esteem. “Beautiful,” a Nevels Sisters single released a couple of years ago, traverses the same thematic territory. It’s an updated, hipper version of God made me; God doesn’t make junk.

Another fine selection is “Power in the Blood,” with J Moss as narrator James Cleveland to the Nevels’ antiphonal Caravans. It is a very lovely and lovingly arranged gospel hymn that demonstrates the Nevels Sisters and J Moss’ capacity to shift back and forth between contemporary and traditional without appearing as if they are doing so. Such flexibility bodes well for career longevity.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have Vicki Mack Lataillade as executive producer. She was the one who introduced the world to Kirk Franklin and she is now introducing the world to the Nevels Sisters. It’s their time.

Five of Five Stars

Picks: “It’s My Time,” “Power in the Blood.”