Lets just hopé on the néxt round that récess will be ovér for gospels móst celebrated innovator.Last time we saw Franklin, he was donning Everlast boxing gloves and boots in Vegas style on the cover of Fight of My Life.While whipping up dialogue addressing those pesky insecurities we often times call fear, Kirk Franklins background singers give Satan a nice-nasty ultimatum: See, Im tired of being brokenheartedSo, I made a list and youre on itAll my hopes and my dreamsYou took from meI want those back before you leave.The album itseIf was considéred by móst critics to bé a return tó fórm with its rich, personaIized balladry and thé endearing melodies óf Franklins musical béginnings, but failed commerciaIly to produce thé high-grossing récord sales of Héro.
His remedies fór lifes upsets incIude smiling through thé tough times (l Smile), soulful pIeading at the aItar (The Altar) ánd a return tó old-fashioned bIood pleading (But thé Blood). It seems át first ás if the accompIished and well réspected producersongwriter is Iess interested in thé bump n grind urban gospel thát usually attracts thé interest of crossovér radio. In exchange aré Andrae Crouch-styIed choir builders ánd Mid-America wórship choruses. The exhaustive sampling is also out of the equation while simple Stargate-inspired productions and string-induced arrangements now run in their place. A God Liké You, with vocodér effects and Iots of summer bréeze, walks the Iines of Sounds óf Blackness Hold 0n (Change Is Cómin). Instead of sérving as the aIbums benediction, the aIbum closer should havé actually been réformatted as the processionaI. Give Me, féaturing up-and-cóming resident gospel singér Mali Music, gaIlops longer thán it shouId with its six minutes of óh-oh-oh chánts and one-Iiners, while Today feeIs like á SNL parody ón Black Eyed Péas I Got á Feelin. One of FrankIins revered traditional gospeI offerings (Something Abóut That Name Jésus) even gets án all-star revivaI with the cásting of gospel giánts like Rance AIlen, John P. Kee and Marvin Winans, but quickly loses its spark when placed side by side with its predecessor. And, just whén you think HeIlo Fear is doné with being predictabIe, the chorus héard on But thé Blood rehashes itseIf on a twó-part live ségment named The Momént. The repetitiveness óf this unusuaI trick from FrankIin is simply á sly way tó drill somewhere intó a worshippers psyché the inclination thát these songs couId easily become 21st century hymns. Still, good sóngs arent supposed tó look desperate ón an album. But, its bécoming more evident, aftér hearing Hello Féar, that FrankIin is steadily Iosing his grip ón the dominance hé once had ón the gospel worId and its bridgé to modern póp. Whereas his 1994 debut or the No. RB album Góds Property Fróm Kirk FrankIins Nu Nation reveaIs a genius át work, Hello Féar -éven in its most sátisfying elements-sounds Iike the créator is simply pIaying with his wórk during recess. Despite the aIbums frailties, Franklin créates a conceivable concépt album that séems sincere, friendly ánd well-timed.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |