Theresa Pinkney – Me Against the World

Theresa Pinkney
Me Against the World
Gifts of the Spirit Music (2011)
http://www.theresapinkney.com/

When I hear “Pinkney,” the first person that comes to mind is the late Bill Pinkney of the famous R&B vocal group the Drifters.

But aha, there’s another musical Pinkney: Theresa Pinkney.

Although I don’t know if the two are related, Theresa just released her debut solo CD last month. Its title, Me Against the World, expresses the soprano’s “press on against all odds” attitude. Musically, the project showcases Pinkney’s smooth, easy and breathy soprano, which she wraps around soul-soothing selections such as “Silent Praise.”

Pinkney grew up in Northeast Washington, DC and attended the prestigious Duke Ellington School for the Arts, where she was exposed to a multiplicity of musical styles. She also took vocal lessons from gospel artist and Broadway star Yolanda Wyns, and later became a member of the contemporary gospel group Just Breathe.

The first portion of Me Against the World is a collection of pleasant, pop-infused worship songs, with crisp piano work and R&B electronica bolstering melodies and lyrics. The bright spot early on is the brisk “Promise,” which posits that promises go both ways: God’s to us and ours to God. The song has special meaning for Pinkney, as it was a favorite of her close friend and mentor who recently succumbed to breast cancer. As a result, Pinkney is donating a portion of the proceeds of the CD to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

The playful “Follow Him” marks – at least as far as I know – the first time the social networking site Twitter is the focus of a gospel song. Pinkney cops hip hop swagger as she sings, “If Jesus was on Twitter, would you follow him, man?”  Might this be a modernistic version of “Jesus on the Main Line?”

The final third of the CD is its strongest, when the bright songs become even brighter and more musically inventive. From the complex “Deep” and the fizzy “Count it All Joy” to the encouraging “Trouble Don’t Last Always” and the compellingly R&B “Pressing On,” everything comes together just right.

The bonus track “Incredible” is Christian night club-ready, as Pinkney duets with Jocelyn (aka iNDIGO), spelling out words rhythmically like Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas.

Me Against the World is a pleasant listen, anchored by Theresa Pinkney’s skillful singing and solid production by iNDIGO, Dewayne “DJ Bam the Gospel DJ” Staten and Eliot Jefferson.

Four of Five Stars

Picks: “Promise,” “Trouble Don’t Last Always.”