Reviewed by Allan Clare

Carman has always been a good old fashioned Pentecostal Christian and he starts this, his 34th (!) album since 'Some-o-Dat' in 1982, by welcoming the listener to "the overflow. . . the place where God blesses in the abundance of health, wealth, prosperity, love, peace, joy - this is what God designed your life for, this is what we're gonna declare." Theological quibbles aside, what comes next is a more gospel oriented album than previous Carman releases. I remember his "Addicted To Jesus" in the early 1990s and he still hasn't lost his knack for naff titles with the final track here - "S.A.V.E.D. 100%" - a limp, terribly dated MC Hammer style funk-rap. Carman actually does little singing on this album and instead MCs and vocalises his praise: acting for the most part as choir leader rather than lead vocalist. The focus is faith building and Christ exalting, and it works on "Bless His Name" and "If God Be For Me" with its funky gospel sound, and the gospel balladeering of "Center Of My Heart". Overall, though, it seems Carman hasn't really moved on from those early 1990s. The ballads sound dated and the spoken interjections don't work on such a dated sound as they do on a Kirk Franklin urban groove.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.