::ALBUM REVIEW::

Seems like a flood of artists whom have made their careers making solid gospel records have considered on making the switch to popish, friendlier praise-and-worship music. And because of such an influx, it's pretty hard to find original, committed artists within the worship genre. Earnest Pugh makes his national debut on the Detroit-based Crystal Rose label using a thrilling mixture of radiant gospel vibes and worshipful lyrics. With a vocal style that will draw literal comparisons to J. Moss and Emtro Gospel's L. Spenser Smith, Pugh does a marvelous job in appealing to both the praise-and-worship and gospel community.

"A Worshipper's Perspective" opens with a brief introduction from the Prince of Praise, Byron Cage, and flows into the symphonic sounds of Brent Jones' "Holy Spirit". The slow number opens sweetly and has a kiddish sensibility in its foundations while spreading out into a big bold exaltation towards the end. Only setbacks on this number would be the cartoon-sounding keyboard strings and the mushiness at the tailend of the cut, but a few careful repeats of this cut will probably help the replay value here. A few more seasoned ballads also make the list including the beautifully composed "Just For Who You Are" which contains a rising moment as the background vocals blast into a session of calling out several names of God with affectionate staccato deliveries on the vamp. "Father I Worship You" is just as sizzling as "Who You Are" with Pugh's clear pipes and careful pitch. Intense worship begins to bubble throughout the song's middle section, while the raging lead guitar performance from Justin Young and heavy groove dominated by sensuous bass thumps from Ken Friend on the vamp sparks a rising level of intensity to the mix.

But the gospel energies on the uptempo cuts are probably the greatest additions for this collection. The churchy sounds of "Praise 'Em (In The Meantime)", styled in the favor of most fast-tempo praise breaks, possesses a strong musical drive with its heavy synths and perky rhythms. Pugh, whom also writes this jubilant cut, also reveals an anointed flow with his worship leading while teasing audiences with witty impromptu exhortations birthing promises of breakthrough. Another jam dipped into the traditional gospel batter is "So Much". Composed by Cage and Pugh, the song opens in the style of Eddie Robinson-GMWA numbers with that Southern charm and with that familiar church choir sound but later whirls into a production mostly resembling a Rudolph Stanfield track. The song is fun and quite an appetizer for Sunday mornings. "He's There" is fully punctuated by house influences - full of groove and styled like Donald Lawrence's "Testify" but at a faster time count. Nikki Ross jumps into the vocal presentation and delivers a few "ooohohhohhs" that resemble Karen Clark-Sheard's trademarks. With a few unpredictable changes in the song, the song keeps its cool factor as it experiments with Minneapolis funk and emerges into a performance-oriented jam. "If You Never", also penned by Cage, is a nice addition as well - helping to build on the diverse styles captured on the album. Even though the words seems to be too wordy for this urban cut, the music along with Pugh's presentation dazzles the ear. The jolting "High & Lifted/Everybody Lift 'Em" also shouldn't be remissed with its bright, exuberant melody and sing-along features. You can even hear some of Pugh's highlighted remarks, such as: "I double dog dare ya" and "chicken is good, but God is great."

But above all, it is the tasteful arrangement of "Wrapped Up, Tied Up, Tangled Up", penned by the late John Askew and originally recorded by the late Thomas A. Whitfield, that overcomes the ear with brilliant flashbacks and total satisfaction. Everything about the original is here, but with clearer and more defined keyboards from Robert Ellis, Jr. and a few changes in the song's flow. New ideas including a few modulations on the vamp and the opening solo from Pugh are also neatly packaged. Do not rob yourself of the experience to hear this colorful remake. Even the audience on this track agrees.

In closing, what can be said about Earnest Pugh's remarkable contributions to the genre of praise-and-worship is that his presence is strongly gospel-influenced and that his style of worship leading is impressively masculine. Most will agree that praise-and-worship often times feel poppish and cute, while gospel is "in-yo-face" and tougher in texture. Pugh has delivered his A-game to this field and has made it more easier for gospel artists to dig into worship without compromising their former formats. Regardless of what the outcome of this project will yield, "A Worshipper's Perspective" is a remarkable journey with a nice bag of musical highlights and favorable moments.