Mighty Men of Faith
Faithful Journey: Let It Be So
Independent (release date: March 5, 2024)
By Robert M. Marovich
For those who like sweet singing gospel quartets who minister in a Whispers/Spinners/Dramatics style, the Mighty Men of Faith deliver. Their new album, the eleven-track Faithful Journey: Let It Be So, is no different. It’s steeped in smooth and soulful harmonies, sweet falsetto lead singing, and electronic beats.
Not to be confused with the Mighty Power of Faith, a hard-singing (and long-gone) Chicago-based quartet, the Mighty Men of Faith has for years worked in a ‘70s/’80s soul vibe. Its members include Wendell Basey, Rev. Richard Hayes, Charles Johnson, and Rev. Ed Prothro-Harris. If other quartets run the aisles, Mighty Men of Faith slow swagger down them.
For example, the album’s opener “Celebrate” rejoices about the goodness of God within a funk-synth arrangement. The soothing “Don’t Worry” and equally reassuring “Taste and See” are cut straight from Spinners cloth, while “Let It Be So,” another testament of reassurance during life’s challenges, is disco-style gospel, complete with synthesized TSOP strings. On the other hand, the arrangement for “Thru the Fire” evokes Earth, Wind & Fire as the group sings that their personal testimonies are proof to others that they, too, can overcome what ails them.
“Don’t Worry,” “Taste and See,” “Let It Be So,” and “Thru the Fire” illustrate the album’s overarching theme of reliance on God to deal with life’s travails. As if to summarize, “Walk With the Lord” reiterates how belief in Christ is key to overcoming life’s dangers.
While not all the songs pierce the heart with the same satisfying arrow as “Don’t Worry,” listeners who long for the days of spirituality bathed in sweet soul will find it with Mighty Men of Faith.
Four of Five Stars
Pick: “Don’t Worry”
Written by : Bob Marovich
Bob Marovich is a gospel music historian, author, and radio host. Founder of Journal of Gospel Music blog (formally The Black Gospel Blog) and producer of the Gospel Memories Radio Show.