::ALBUM REVIEW::
by J Matthew Cobb
Posted: November 19, 2009

With the help of one of Kurt Carr’s best production efforts, a career rebound successfully transformed Byron Cage into a household name and an industry favorite It wasn’t a perfect display of Cage’s giftings but it was appropriate for a nationwide debut. It oozed with the rollicking “Presence of the Lord Is Here” and charmed other radio buzz favorites like “Thou Art A Shield" and “There Is a Name” What transpired after the 2002 debut included a few respectable offerings, all primmed with one or two radio gems but lacking that extra something. Maybe the transference of production responsibilities from Carr to PAJAM didn’t help in maintaining Cage’s former momentum, but it allowed him to distance himself from being just a mere poster child for the worship movement. Songs like “I Will Bless the Lord” and “Royalty” kept his worship banner raised but his albums revealed him being more comfortable crooning to soulful urban R&B-natured gospel and working with vocal greats like Kim Burrell.

On his latest epical adventure, Faithful to Believe, Cage finds new ways to explore his past, reinvigorate his youthfulness and to tag the more popular trends of assembly-line urban worship. Shifting producers once again, Cage hires music hit maker and Israel Houghton’s right hand man Aaron Lindsey to help relight the fires of his comfortable heyday. The album kicks off with the typical fanfare designed for big openings. Radio vet Darryl Ford preps the singer for an exaggerated entrance and then comes the synth-driven gospel bumps of “I Give You Praise.” In the flavor of “I Will Bless the Lord,” Cage finds a friendly follow-up without sounding too much like a cheap copy. On the buzzing title cut, Cage adapts easily when offered the opportunity to play with the Israel/New Breed trademark. It sounds good, rocking too much like Houghton’s “Just Wanna Say,” but it’s way too fierce with synth bass and drumwork for Cage’s lighthearted vocals. Where Cage shines the greatest, remarkably, is on the meaty gospel ballad “Simply Yes.” Co-written amongst Cage, Lindsey and Darryl Ford, it’s like the song dips itself into the majestic courts of Detroit’s former trailblazers like Thomas Whitfield and Rev. Charles Nicks. Even though its stretched across a nearly nine-minute blueprint, lots of gospel organ and big harmonies peppered with a rock ‘n rollish, overloaded vamp gives the song the winning ingredients. “Thankful,” “I Can’t Hold It,” one of Cage’s lone contributions, and the fervent recreation of the Thompson Community Singers’ 1984 tune “Lord You Are My Everything” are the last of the album’s main attractions. And while the latter possess the star-studded appearances of Karen Clark-Sheard and Marvin L. Winans, two of Detroit’s finest singers, the song adds on newer dimensions, shades and the most perfect incorporation of its original writer, Winans, to the mix. Sometimes it’s hard to touch a classic, especially after Francine Jones sailed the original with her mind-blowing soprano. In this case, Cage and company rose to the challenge.

There are a few sore spots. “Goodbye” raises up the red flag of hater-aid while using dreadful Autotune tactics. “In the Midst” feels more like stocky solicitation for guest vocalist Tye Tribbett than it is a Cage offering. And while it’s conventional for the live recording environment, some of the tracks parade a bit longer than expected. Still, the former Prince of Praise finds some serenity in his new association with Lindsey. The mix is cleaner, the songs are more engaging and the album possesses a better pattern of organization that most of Cage’s latter works. It might not pack on the punch and legend of Cage’s self-titled wonder or the nearly-forgotten but sweetly orchestrated AIR Gospel offerings, but it’s as close to it so far.