::ALBUM REVIEW::

Alvin Slaughter is no stranger to the gospel music forum. Even though his style and musical delivery has appeased various musical styles ranging from praise-and-worship to milked-down versions of Contemporary Christian/pop, the passion that ultimately prevails in his musical ministry definitely appeals to gospel fans. But it is clearly a defined fact that his albums, especially those in the early years of Integrity Music's reigning period in the early 90s, reflected Slaughter's universal appeal first marked on the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir projects. But Slaughter switches things up a bit on his latest musical effort appropriately titled "The Faith Life". Neat title, since the majority of the material here deals with faith and the institutional developments of a believer's journey into the depth of their purpose. And Slaughter is in grand style; partially recording live, of course, at Covenant Love Family Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the rest done in studio.

While no one really can resist Alvin Slaughter's amazing baritone vocals, filled with depth and clarity, song choice can make or break a project's value. Success is granted as this project contains memorable nuggets that work well for Slaughter's signature style and showcases a brilliant blend of strong gospel and praise-and-worship. Kicking things off is a horn-influx jam, "My Joy", penned by Pastor Trent Cory. Amazingly, the vamp may be rough to impress since it compares easily with Judith Christie-McAllister's "Hallelujah, You're Worthy". But the song definitely is a nice way to start a project. It's gospel-friendly and features a rousing backing choir pulling all the right moves on the zesty harmonies. Not too many quick, uptempo ear-catchers this time around, but is that ever a normal occurrence for Slaughter? But all is well, since Keith Laws' "Anything" is a contemporary bounce filled with enough groove to blaze any sound speaker. Punctuated B-3 organ thrills from Virgil Staford and glossy trumpet spice from Steve Patrick marks this funky musical affair. Add the R&B-contemporary flair of "Wave Of My Anointing (Fresh Wind)", with its infectious drum programming from Jason Gaines, to the table and the praise party is sure to kick off. But that's about it for the fast stuff.

But Slaughter shines with the ballads on this effort. And with mesmeric lyrical development, Psalm-like throwbacks, irresistible chord action and heavy, moody instrumentation, the ballads definitely outshine much of the other material. Major emphasis rests upon "When I Praise", another Trent Cory composition. It almost sounds like a healthy crossbred prototype between an Israel & Kirk tune with its romantically, musical build-up and touching lyrics. And while one may escape in the electrifying and animated background of music, Slaughter's soulful voice turns this selection into a divine experience. Hearing this song is worth purchasing this project alone.

Other goodies in the ballad category include Tommy Walker's (Fred Hammond) "Lord I Run To You", which gives off that adult contemporary/jazz vibe that may have easily worked well on an Oleta Adams' album. Lyrically, the song paints a glorious description of desperation for God's help. And it works well with the mood of the music. Put a big plus on this one. Alvin Slaughter even takes a stab at songwriting on "Sacrifice of Praise", which captures intimate moments of sincere worship. Opening things off with the whispering unison vocals of the choir, things later bloom into a beautiful medley of string arrangements, gorgeous background harmonies and Slaughter's intense belting. Contemporary Christian followers and those comfortable with the Darlene Zschech/Hillsong Series may really enjoy "Launch Out". It's a moving song of faith and has a good ministry of encouragement to it, but it's not as rewarding as the other ballads; especially for gospel enthusiasts.

Overall, it's hard to be in Slaughter's shoes. He tends to play the safe role; creating projects that will convince audiences from various musical styles. Gospel, P&W, Contemporary Christian, black folk, white folk. The whole caboodle. And while this one falls mostly on the slow songs - which is a very understandable choice for Slaughter's voice - and is far from being musically even since the closing chapters of this album may be a bit tedious with its lengthy string of slow songs, "The Faith Life" should easily become one of his rewarding additions to the gospel community. Not too many flaws here...good production, clean vocals, superb band work from Roger Ryan (keyboards) and the rest of the gang. This one should definitely wake up a new generation of Slaughter supporters.