::ALBUM REVIEW::

After a solid, successful run on the Integrity Gospel label, the Colorado Mass Choir has decided to take their music ministry over to the newly-developed, yet aggressively committed Alliant music label. The label change might come as a surprise to most of the CMC's fans, but their Alliant debut is certain to deliver audiences what they have grown to expect from the prominent gospel/praise-and-worship ensemble. "Praise 'Til You Breakthrough" is loaded with familiar sounds including subtle simple ballads, a few infectious rhythm standouts and strong studio production elements closely connected to Joe Pace's standards.

Much of this album is loaded with simple worship ballads, but there are a few uptempo highlights at hand. "Let's Praise Him" opens up the set using a calypso swing and later thrusts into familiar gospel phrasing, strong churchy vocals from Rhonda Porter and jumps into a few catchy modulations. The title track, full of churchy energy, features strong vocal work from Jerard Woods along with a few borrowed chords from Timothy Wright's "Who's On The Lord's Side". The song is radio-friendly and will surely appeal to the traditional gospel crew. Another infectious traditional gem, "Oh Give Thanks", is patterned after many of Pace's previous gospel anthems. This time, Pace uses a little spice from Chicago's soulful heatseekers with a slice of infectious instrumentation resembling the spunk captured on Excelsior's gospel workouts to turn this song into a enjoyable treat. "Most High King" contains dynamic horn blasts along with a lovable groove and funky contemporary layers of jazz. While this song lacks the enthusiasm of Pace's live jammers, you are most certain to notice its familiar Pace trademarks while incorporating new sounds in the musical backdrop.

Mixed signals will arise on the "Classic Choir Medley", as Pace along with several members of his studio band rearrange some of the popular gospel choruses from back in the day. Part of the problems fall upon the lengthiness of the medley. Another struggle to investigate include how the songs flow from one song to the next. It also might be quite hard to understand Pace's song choice, since he places too much favor on the Edwin Hawkins/Walter Hawkins catalog. Hawkins' "God Will Take Care Of You", "When The Battle Is Over" and the funky "He's Alright With Me" overshadow most of the other contributions from other writers, while "Please Be Patient With Me" and Rickey Grundy's "Call Him Up" feels a little bit empty and watered down. But hearing the Colorado Mass Choir pay their respects to the legends of gospel music is truly a sight worth hearing and experiencing.

The ballads are simply arranged: easy for praise teams to learn and pretty much stagnant for serious gospel enthusiasts. While there is a musical beauty within the interpretations from Simeon Baker's bass, Bobby Sparks' keyboard styling and Justin Savage's organ entrances on most of the slow tunes, the songs are way too simple and drains too much life from the good of the project. "When I Worship", nicely glossed with punctuations from Rick Watford's lead guitar, uses the foundations of Pace's familiar number "Praise Him While You Wait", including the signature unison segment. The lyrics are nicely penned and feels fancy in parts, but the song's simplicity and lack of energy makes the cut feel sappy. "It Won't Last" and "Forever You Shall Reign" flows in the same manner with its long unison parts and relaxed practical posture. Actually most of the ballads tend to sound alike after a while on this project.

It seems as if Joe Pace is well comfortable with penning material for his worship audiences. The last couple of sets from the Colorado Mass Choir have clearly showed his desires to switch the group's style. The transition has been completed here. And while it's not a bad idea at all to dwindle in different styles from time to time, this project does a complete reversal from its familiar hits of their early years. This is not "Watch God Move" and this is far from a "So Good!". This is a gospel choir doing what is popular now: that's poppish praise-and-worship. Some will gladly welcome the change, but many will not enjoy the lack of originality, the predictable pop-flavored melodies, the departure from thick gospel grooves and insufficient selections of challenging material offered on "Praise 'Til You Breakthrough".