::ALBUM REVIEW::

Maybe you’ve heard of Clint Brown before and maybe you haven’t. But if you are leaning towards the “have-not”, then take a look through the many independent projects released through his Tribe Music Group label. Recording since 1997, Clint Brown follows the rich traditions of pastoral minstrels like Andrae’ Crouch and John P. Kee by pastoring the Faithworld Church in Orlando and also maintains a heavy schedule as a recording worship-meets-gospel artist. After receiving extensive exposure as worship leader at Rod Parsley’s fledging World Harvest Church in Columbus, Ohio, Brown set out to found his own church, Faithworld; which has grown to a staggering 6,000 members. From his flock alone, the gospel community has witnessed the emergence of songwriter/worship leader Martha Munizzi and her sister Mary Alessi. Many of Munizzi’s earlier hits such as “Say The Name” and “Shout” were featured on Brown’s projects, before Munizzi decided to record them herself. To appropriately describe Clint Brown’s vocal abilities, one will find the immense pleasure of discovering how organic and soulful it is with his soul injections and husky baritone easily being compared to the likes of a Michael McDonald. Now after sixteen albums already hitting the shelves of Christian bookstores across the country, Clint Brown has leaped into an even greater arena with his latest offering, Fall Like Rain. This time, Universal Music is helping to spearhead the project into newer territory with their worldwide distribution efforts.

The album leans on a contemporary format ranging from Christian pop to big funky gospel arrangements punctuated by Rhett Jarrett and Evan Dowling’s horns. Notable session drummer and producer Aaron Pearce seizes the opportunity to handle Fall Like Rain and incorporates a stellar sound and mesmerizing musicianship to the mix - even including the Nashville String Machine to add seasoned strings to the big pop-flavored ballads. “Awesome God” leans on Israel Houghton vibes and rides a congregational-friendly and repetitive chorus for six good minutes. The song does extend beyond the radio mark and overstays its welcome, but cranks up the energy needed for the typical worship album. “I Can’t Get Enough” merges contemporary rock and pop into a contagious melody and a big live rock concert sound with its dazzling synths and rocking guitar leads. The disc even finds Brown borrowing heavy samples from Earth Wind and Fire’s “September” on the Russ Taff collabo “I’m Forgiven.” The original words are ejected and are replaced with praises of God’s abounding love while the musical arrangement sticks and is irresistibly pleasurable to the ear. Possibly an oversight, it hurts to not see Maurice White and Al McKay's names mentioned in the actual credit as the original songwriters. More special guest collaborations with the worship pastor help to solidify the impact of Brown’s presence such as “Everyday Is A Good Day” (featuring LaRue) and “You’re The Reason" (with Javen Campbell). Things operate in reverse on the Jonny Lang/Michael McDonald remake of "Thankful.” Though it channels Clint Brown’s distinctive Michael McDonald chops and finds guest star Jason Crabb delivering his gritty Mike Farris-esque vocals, it slips from being essential and feels like the bulk of American Idol live renditions. It’s not irritable, but it’s not a knock-out for a remake.

Capping off the big uptempo cuts are a few colorful ballads; helping to balance out the album’s quickly-paced rhythmic nature. “It Was You” floats with a serene beauty marked by an intimate acoustic guitar setting that easily fits into a Babyface record. Other ballads like the 80s-sound of “Stand Still” and the pop rock elements of “I Will” give the album different sounds for Brown and offers up some of the biggest round of eclectic sounds and versatility for the renowned worship leader. While it tends to drift away from Brown’s usual contemporary gospel elements, it’s quite understandable to see why Brown takes this route. He’s a popular pastor in the multi cultural Orlando area and aims to bring out those connections as much as possible on record. But don’t expect to hear the gospel rooted energy heard on One Nation Under Praise or Nothing But Church. Fall Like Rain is more eclectic in its character and pushes Brown away from sounding too urban. It’s a safe move, but one that might cost a few listeners to wait until the next album. Still in all fairness, Fall Like Rain has its likeable factors and possess a good bag of modern pop-ish tracks to feed Brown’s followers and those Pop 100 listeners in need of some inspiration.