::ALBUM REVIEW::

CeCe Winans has always strayed away from the redundant styles of the time; regardless of how popular it is. Call her a trendsetter - since she normally flees from the hopes of being branded from the ever-increasing activity of labeling. And it should go on record that she has done it all - traditional gospel with a background choir (Ron Winans' projects), contemporary/urban (from her heyday with her brother BeBe as the Grammy-winning duo BeBe & CeCe Winans), praise and worship (as exhibited on her Throne Room, Alabaster Box and Alone In His Presence albums) and the familiar pop/adult contemporary/light-R&B records (Everlasting Love). Well, since her last project, "Throne Room", which was praised by critics and fans to be a risky, but successful worship-oriented project, Winans decided to return to the fold that so graciously supports her. This time, "Purified", a thirteen track mixed bag of pop-oriented material and R&B-tinged grooves, finds Winans returning to the Contemporary Christian banner - possibly with the aspirations to maintain her likeable and imminent presence on Christian radio. And while many may favor this kind of inspirational singing on Winans, her gospel fanbase may not appreciate the vague gospel-styled lyrical deliveries that are best seen on her previous project. This event proves a worthy point: Winans does not like to be branded. And doing so on this project can also be a difficult experience since she pulls out different musical elements that showcases her love for artistic versatility and unpredictable movements.

Of all of the songs presented, a few sport earnest attention and deserves a good share of humane adoration. "Mamma's Kitchen", which overtakes the ears as the album opener, is filled with infectious guitar pulls and calm instrumentation over a bouncy R&B groove provided by producer Tommy Sims. The message is clearly a testament of past memories of Mama's sensational cooking, her moral advances and pulling the richness of yesterday into today's problems. "Pray", produced by hip-hop producer of the Bad Boy gang and Winans' nephew Mario Winans, delivers a stomping urban bounce on top of a simple melody. It's definitely single material and sure to strike a few spins on radio and on a few iPods - even though extended activity may bring irritable emotions due to the elementary phrasing of "I pray, you pray, we pray". "Just Like That", produced by BeBe & CeCe Winans' famed craftsman Keith Thomas, is nicely rendered with its zippy-synths and flashy keyboard bass zips; reminiscent of J. Moss' production. And in the ballads' department, "You Will", written by Sims, possesses a pop-flavored melody with the acoustic guitar and colorful string additions from the Nashville String Machine. Lyrically, the song is bountifully an inspirational artifact with Winans' healing voice and heartfelt delivery marking the spot. Kayla Parker's "He's Concerned" also sticks out, even though it is clearly a simple piano and solo tune and closes out the project. A definite highlight and proves that the last shall be first, among many things.

While CeCe pulls all the stops with her charming and charismatic vocals, the album's momentum eventually wanes, due to overproduction and mushy lyrical development. "A Place Like This" is a busy musical affair, merging Stevie Wonder's "If Your Love Cannot Be Moved" with the drum programming of BeBe & CeCe Winans' classic 1989 hit "Heaven". You even her reference the lyric "Heaven is where I want to be". And you may want to conjure the musical flow of Yolanda Adams' "Continual Praise". When the acid techno sounds emerge during the mid-section of the song, an uncomfortable feeling starts to set in. The song is just too busy - and is over the top. Other songs like "Colorful World", "Let Everything That Has Breath" (may be interpreted as the remix to "Halellujah Praise") and the title cut pales in comparison to her previous hits. While many may praise this project as being a startling advancement from Winans' recent musical offerings, it is proven that her aspirations of "Purified" are to recall everything one may expect from her. In doing so, it's hard to call this project satisfying from start to finish. Too much instrumentation on most tracks, not enough instrumentation on others and vague references to the BeBe & CeCe Winans' material may not be the wisest choice for her. Though less cohesive and creative than her past collections, this set will satisfy in areas until the next album drops.