Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Acclaimed Michigan-based gospel singer Marvin Sapp has once again teamed up with longstanding producer Aaron Lindsey for yet another solid offering of soul-tinged gospel that just oozes class and confidence. Few artists would have the self-assurance to kick off an album with what is essentially an overture but, with the opening section of "Safe In You", that's exactly what Sapp does to set the scene for a grandiose collection of songs that tell of God's faithfulness. Sapp refreshingly avoids employing overused clichés when singing about his Saviour's steadfastness - thanks I'm sure to the singer going through personal tragedy in recent years - and tracks like "Kind God" may make you take a different view on the hardships that come your way. As ever, Sapp is at the top of his game vocally and the slick musical backdrop engineered by Lindsey (with luminaries R Kelly and Kirk Franklin in the production hot seat for a couple of tracks) allows the man's impressive voice to take centre stage. Whilst the second half of this release defaults to the kind of slow burning soul that can be found on countless other contemporary gospel albums, tracks like the funky "He Is" and the punchy pop of "You And Me Together" ensure that Sapp's latest offering has just enough individuality to stand out from the crowd.

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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