Reviewed by Paul Poulton

I guess the thing is this: Micah Stampley is here, not that he's a new kid, no, he took his time but he's here now. The world is better for it - a big lesson here in not burying your talents: let the world hear them. This debut smacks, kicks and shouts praise in Christ's direction. The song "Sing" spits out an excellent declaration of what Christ is, the delightful rhythmical tension resolves into the chorus. It's a tiptop song and execution. Micah creates a punchy, compressed, engaging sound, he uses programmed keyboards to great effect. His voice rasps in a higher register than most male gospel singers. His soft vocals have an air laden quality. "Come Holy Spirit" builds neatly and captures the atmosphere of true praise and worship. Micah manages to make discord sound like concord on "I Need Thee", it's great. He seems relaxed, ready to have fun but also ready to give God serious praise. TD Jakes has helped Micah get on the road, but then so has God, when he saw fit he gave Micah his time and this is it. He's a fine songwriter too, his years have garnered some wisdom for this man and he's ready to start passing it on. I for one am ready to listen.

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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