::ALBUM REVIEW::

After making big marks in the industry for penning the Stellar-award winning "I Will Bless The Lord," made infamous by Byron Cage, in 2007, Isaiah D. Thomas is becoming one of the strongest upcoming trendsetters in contemporary gospel music. Thomas and and his DC choral aggregation, Elements of Praise (E.O.P.) also took home the Contemporary Choir of the Year award at the Stellar Awards earlier this year for their independently-released Live, Pt. 1. After years of sacrificing behind the scenes and laying down groundwork for artists including Gladys Knight, Daniel Austin and Dottie Peoples, Thomas and E.O.P. are emerging from being independent local heroes to prominent gospel sensations with their official debut project, The Greatest, on the Habakkuk Music label. And it's about time some light is shed on the accomplished songwriter/singer/keyboardist; which he shows a taste of his skill in various places on the new disc. Unfortunately, he isn't playing on the keys, but he is still greatly supported by an incredible crew of talented minstrels including Christopher T. Leach (keyboards), Calvin Rodgers (drums) and the popular Mo' Horns band on brass. Recorded live at the Greater Saint John Church in Upper Marlboro, MD, The Greatest is a thirteen-track collection bravely walking away from the funky contemporary gospel sound of his former work and jumping more into pop-flavored worship and more contemporary choral material.

The album kicks off with all of the right tracks and continues to build on its majestic, undying energy as each song flows into the next. The title track, glimmering with pop and rock highlights, opens up the project and channels the spirit of a jovial love song. Remarkably, the song shifts into a zesty gospel groove on the closing vamp and allows Thomas to vocally penetrate the song with spark and emotion. "Said He Would Be With Me" is highly enjoyable for its traditional simple groove and Mo' Horns horn blasts. It's definitely a soulful song that is picture-perfect for the likes of Dottie Peoples or the Chicago Mass Choir, but Thomas gives the song all the right ingredients - even including Bishop Michael V. Kesley as a guest vocalist. An accompanying reprise allows Thomas to work the song's lather out some more as he interjects his testimony following a recent near-death car accident. "He's Able," lyrically exalted by the familiar text found in Ephesians 3:20, is a power gospel ballad, peppered by the duet of Keisha Crowell and Thomas, that ultimately blossoms from its lovable chorus to a rousing vamp exerting that God "can do what no other power can do." "Speak Life" calmly juxtaposes sophisticated jazz into a glowing gospel arrangement and is a sure album standout for its sheer uniqueness.

Guests also help out on the B-sided, "good-not-exceptional" material. The passionate nature of "Psalm 26:8" reveals a mature-sounding lead vocals of Byron Nichols (of Richard Smallwood & Vision) fearlessly beautifying the scripturally-themed cut. E.O.P's harmonies are also very classy and mature here - "bringing sexy back" to the sounds of Richard Smallwood and Thomas Whitfield. Daniel Austin, showcasing his wide range and vocal chops, returns on the pop-chiseled "Focus On You" and breathes a dreamy sound and an imagery of poetic expression into the midtempo ballad. Austin and Nichols are wisely cast into these selections; giving them burgeoning effects that help compliment the album's broader material.

Rounding out the final moments of the disc are improved workouts of previous-released material including "I Don't Know (What You Come To Do)" - taken from Daniel Austin's On My Mind - and the encore-natured "I Will Bless The Lord." With so many versions of this track floating around, it's imperative to mention Thomas' original version as being the most funky and effective. It locks into the groove and remains there - without any sign of distraction. Unfortunately, the 2008 remake rebels from that in hopes to add something new and refreshing to a song that has probably been heard on the radio for a zillion times. It may have been better if the revisit was short and sweet, rather than clocking in at six minutes. Listeners may have treated the song as a memoir of the "good times," rather than trying to forgetting the things and their methods that are behind." An excellent proverb suddenly comes to mind: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." In this case, it's possible that the song may be shattered into pieces due to funk overkill and super strides to be sonically different.

While The Greatest isn't quite the momentous artifact most gospel audiences are looking for in Thomas and E.O.P. - since most of the album derails from the funky trends of "I Will Bless The Lord" - it is a creative journey of delightful sounds and a careful mix-breed of styles exposing a new level of growth in their musicality. It also shows how the influences of pop worship and its glamorous spark has encrusted itself into the textures of modern gospel. Like it or not, these mysteries give the new sounds of Thomas' material - also supported by lots of collaborating songwriters - some extra vitality. The end results of The Greatest is quite rewarding for Thomas: it's his best full-length project to date.