Kurt Carr & the Kurt Carr Singers - One ChurchĬlara Ward and the Ward Singers - Somebody Bigger than You and I James Hall and Worship & Praise - King of Glory Mighty Clouds of Joy - Live in Charlestonĭaryl Coley - Live In Oakland: Home Againĭave Hollister - The Book of David, Vol. Kurt Carr & the Kurt Carr Singers - No One Else Georgia Mass Choir - I Sing Because I'm Happy Hezekiah Walker & LFT - Love Is Live! At Love Fellowship TabernacleĪndre Crouch & the Disciples - Live In London Kirk Whalum - The Gospel According to Jazz Reverend Milton Brunson & TCS - Available to You Israel and New Breed - Live From Another Level Reverend James Moore - Live with the Mississippi Mass Choir Mississippi Mass Choir - It Remains to be Seen It's almost unthinkable that contemporary gospel star Kirk Franklin hasn't had a greatest-hits offering before now. Definitive, career-spanning and comprehensive, this long-awaited 2-CD set features 28 tracks spanning Kirk Franklin's unique journey through music. Mississippi Mass Choir - Mississippi Mass Choir THE ESSENTIAL KIRK FRANKLIN is his first-ever greatest hits package. Hezekiah Walker & LFCC - Live In Atlanta at Morehouse College Staple Singers - Be Altitude: Respect Yourself Kee & New Life Community Choir - Show Up! Richard Smallwood with Vision - Healing.Live in Detroitįred Hammond & Radical for Christ - Purpose By Design You can click on the album covers below to listen to or purchase the CDs at .ĪND CLICK HERE TO SEE THE RESULTS OF OUR OTHER POLLS The results were a great selection of essential albums for Soul Music lovers. Many of the songs picked for this compilation are a testimony to that vision.Over the course of several weeks, thousands of SoulTrackers nominated and then voted on the Greatest Gospel Albums. Throughout her career Adams has striven to make gospel everyday music, instead of something reserved for religious occasion. Having witnessed and had the pleasure of performing “Even Me” with Adams in 1993 at Chicago’s Gospel Festival, it is a special treat to find it on this compilation of Adams’ corpus of work. For instance, “Thank You” features both a choir and church organ. The Essential Yolanda Adams is peppered with songs that feature choirs and the traditional Sunday morning feel as well as ballads. Comparable artists would include Cece Winans. Even those songs recorded with choirs and other traditional gospel instruments, where Adams does shout and get sanctified, seem slightly reserved when compared with gospel artists like LaShun Pace or Vicki Winans. Many of the ballads showcase Adams’ control over the powerful voice she commands. Although theses errors takes away from the production quality of the CD, as these two tracks are not the only ones mislabeled, the songs that appear in their places are still representative of the power and breadth of Adams’ vocal career.Īdams, unlike many traditional gospel singers, maintains a very reserved yet powerful demeanor in most of her songs. Where the listener should hear “Praise Your Holy Name,” they will instead find “Fragile Heart.” Buyers who are disappointed that “Open My Heart,” which made it to #10 on the R&B charts in 1999, is not contained in the compilation, will be pleased to learn that it is included on the track listed as “The Battle Is the Lord’s.” Someone new to Adams’ music would probably never notice these mistakes unless they were looking at the actual liner notes while listening to the album. However, tracks six and seven on disc two are mislabeled (at least on this review copy). Adams cites Nancy Wilson and Stevie Wonder, among other big names in the aforementioned genres, as her inspiration.Īt first glance it appears as though the collection does not feature any of Adams’ crossover hits or gospel-themed songs about love and loss. When listening to the CD it is obvious that her major influences come from jazz and R&B. The CD cover bears witness to this in that it looks more like something one would expect from Phyllis Hyman or Whitney Houston.
Even before Kirk Franklin, she embraced the secular, not only in her delivery but also in her dress. Kirk Franklin has been a contemporary gospel sensation since his 1993 debut album, Kirk Franklin & The Family, broke records as the first gospel debut to reach platinum status. Many of the songs featured on this two CD collection are ballads that do not sound like anything you will hear coming out of the choir stand on Sunday morning.Ī former school teacher and model, Adams began her recording career in 1987. See all the albums from Kirk Franklin available on Napster.
Working to bring a gospel message to churchgoers as well as those that do not attend religious services, The Essential Yolanda Adams shows that her roots lie not only in the gospel music tradition but also in R&B. Yolanda Adams stands as one of the first in gospel music to merge the secular and the sacred, and to break out of the traditional image of a gospel singer in her style of dress and delivery.
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