Reviewed by Ian Hayter

Pastor, arranger, choir leader, Grammy Award winner, , author, radio show host. . . oh, and bishop, Hezekiah Walker is back with his 17th album, recorded in front of a live audience in one of his churches at Bensalem, Pennsylvania with his Love Fellowship Choir (now known simply as LFC). As you'd expect, it's an album full of energy and uplift, with the choir and guest vocalists (including Shawn McLemore and Marvin Sapp) giving of their best to serve up both soulful and raucous gospel. The album bursts into life with the title track, Walker calling on the choir to give it all they've got, and the quality is kept up right the way through to the final "Triumph (Already Done)". The choir is well supported by thumping bass lines from Jeffery Lesley, some driving horns (check out "All Of My Help"), sensitive arrangements from the ubiquitous Nashville String Machine, a selection of classy keyboardists and soaring guitar work from "the prophesying guitarist", Jonathan DuBose. This is classic gospel music, with a glossy contemporary edge which touches on urban, R&B and soul that cannot fail to move the listeners and draw them into the joy and hope of the strongly biblically inspired worship. If you're looking for something uplifting when the rest of the world seems to be plunging into despair, let Hezekiah Walker take you higher.

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.

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