::ALBUM REVIEW::

Since the late James Cleveland traveled to the West Coast to pursue greater ambitions in his recording career up to his passing, the talent that emerged from the Pacific remained vigorously strong and became one of the most popular regions for artistic exposure within the music industry. Valuable vehicles such as Edwin Hawkins Music & Arts Seminar and the mega-chapters of the Northern and Southern California GMWA remained driving forces in the elevation of rising talent new to the scene. Ever committed to Cleveland’s vision was Northern California’s chapter; led by Dr. Helen Stephens. And at the turn of the 21st century, Northern California continued to show forth the talent resting in their cabinet and proved that with the big public revealing of newcomer songwriter Patrick Bradley and his highly-favored composition “Standing In The Need Of A Blessing.” The song was chosen and selected as the album title cut for their 2000 convention album release and featured lead vocalist Debra Henderson. The song became a radio favorite and established fertile ground for Henderson to step into a promising career as a solo artist. Now she is finally walking in her season on the independent album release of Higher Ground; a studio project filled with traditional-baked gospel and mesmeric worship numbers complimentary to her gritty soulful voice.

Produced by Melvin Seals, Higher Ground is perked up by a supporting local musical staff - virtually unknown to outsiders but capable in their performance. Seals may be remembered for the development of the 1980s small music label, Secret Records, which recorded albums for Wanda Nero Butler, Chicago Mass Choir, Gene Viale, Arvis Strickland-Jones and Rev. James Moore.

From the very start, the album captures its listeners with Patrick Bradley’s “We’ve Come To Bow Down And Worship”; a gospel-spiced worship number primely fueled by light string synths and a commanding vamp featuring a full voiced set of background singers. Bradley also contributes the fiery, traditional soul number, “It’s A Blessing.” The vamp goes to higher heights and showcases Henderson’s strength on such big gospel numbers. A song like this, in the eyes of tough critics, may have been suited for strong, dynamic personalities like Beverly Crawford or Angela Spivey, but Henderson using her thin, but fearless vocals owns the song and instantly marks the song as one of the album’s standout triumphs. Renowned GMWA composer Steven Roberts (“He’ll Never Let You Down”, “Nobody But Jesus”) pens a familiar chorus around the slow burner “Psalm 51.” It has some of the same likeable features of the previously-mentioned “It’s A Blessing”, even with the same transition towards the vamp. But even though there’s a lot of repetitive composition traits circulating from one track to the next, Henderson has a way of decorating the same old traditions with fresh, convincing ad-libs. She even works her way into a R&B charmer, “Just Right For God.” With its Isley Brothers-esque synths and midnight soul effects, the song glows with effectual purpose while the encouraging lyrics aims to lift the downtrodden from their despair. Proof of that abides in the verse’s closing lyric: “When it’s too big for man and you’ve done all you can, it’s just right for God.”

Towards the middle of the album, Henderson pays homage to classic hymns such as “Higher Ground”, “I Need Thee Every Hour” and the congregational call-and-response classic “I Love The Lord, He Heard My Cry” - using little or no musical instrumentation. There’s even a revisit to the country gospel hymn “Put Your Hand In The Hand”; a song that was successfully recorded by black artists like Shirley Caesar and Donny Hathaway in the seventies. The song losses some of its jumpy bounce and is slowed down with a slight bluesy-like tempo adjustment.

The biggest point of criticism that may surface is the lack of contemporary uptempo tracks. Much of the album runs on slow ballads and soulful warm-uppers - probably where Henderson is most comfortable musically. While the album is consistent to her style, it’s not consistent for today’s album standards. And while songs like “Stand Up” and the funky Dottie Peoples-styled “God’s Still Got The Power” boosts the album’s pace some, the fiber of the instrumentation isn’t as updated and thick to match the song’s possible achievements. With a little more funk and a better polished sound, there would have been enough conviction to believe Henderson could handle ‘70s-meets-‘90s contemporary gospel. From a few careful listens, it’s best to state that she is definitely on the right street when recording gutsy, churchy numbers.

For an independent release, Higher Ground is an ear teaser. In certain places, the raw takes of the background singers are not as cleanly recorded as they should be; harming the album’s integrity and replay value. But through and through, the project is a good start for Henderson and places her gift in the right direction. Her striking soul-driven vocals, a style that definitely resembles the sound of Southern soul legend Candi Staton, are definitely rare in today’s music world. What Higher Ground does well, with incredible results, is that it places her in the music that matches her style. A few experiments with contemporary gospel wouldn’t have hurt, since she does have the convincing spunk to compete with upbeat funk. Overall, Higher Ground is a likeable, not-too-amateurish production promising a brighter day for Henderson’s foreseeable future.