::ALBUM REVIEW::

It's pretty obvious that establishing a status of a legend is hard to duplicate. You either have it or you don't. And if you don't, you must work extra hard, and even sweat like crazy, to make sure you even qualify for a possible detection of potential longevity. Karen Clark-Sheard, by the grace of God, has survived the fears of being a forgotten foot soldier. Instead, she has evolved into a heroine that is highly celebrated for her achievements and her passion for singing - noting that most female singers inspire and wish to develop their vocal chops like her. With decades behind her being the premier lead vocalist of the legendary Clark Sisters and a couple of solo entries in her discography, Clark-Sheard can command just about anyone to her aid to assist her next musical footsteps. And she does just that with her latest adventure, "It's Not Over: Live In Detroit"; whereas the title is a moving nod to her deliverance from the health scare a few years back that sent her into a serious coma. And while Clark-Sheard has been performing music for over thirty years, she also could be targeting the many that feel her career is wading in the balances of today's powerful newcomers. Regardless of what the title's interpretation is, Clark-Sheard is back with her Word Records debut - but there are a few disappointments.

Firstly, she is not in her normal element. While this is a live recording and is presented at her church home, Greater Emmanuel COGIC in Detroit, mostly everything about this album is different. This is due to the shifting of production duties from choirmaster Donald Lawrence to the popular favorite Israel Houghton and teammate Aaron Lindsey. And with Houghton on board, of course, the music is sure to shift more so towards a praise-and-worship theme. Secondly, with the shift to her new label, Word Records, you probably won't see too much promotion for this album, probably far less than the treatment she was giving at Elektra Records. Based off of their previous album releases, it's painful to even think that good albums are easily forgotten when it comes to this label's job performance. Let the evidence speak for itself. Thirdly, most, if not, all of these songs take technical expertise to reduplicate. Choirs and praise teams need to be mindful of this fact. And last but not least, this is a praise-and-worship project helmed by prominent worship producers. We really don't expect much authentic gospel to rest here, so the dreams of a return to the recognizable foundations that were set to "Finally Karen" are tossed out from the very beginning.

Things kick off with a brief introduction from Israel with a New Breed arrangement on "Rejoice And Be Glad". In the flavor of Israel's infamous up-tempo praise numbers, this one is won over with much affection as Sheard dazzles with her vocal aerobics. Amazingly, parts in the song are hard to reduplicated - and it's not just from Clark-Sheard's angle, but it's from the complete package, from the band's passion to be totally different to the various musical changes and quick intros that would easily baffle the regular praise team. Things move into "I Never Will" featuring a familiar Jamaican rhythm overlaid with strong percussion and quick horn sparks. From the beginning, you can hear the influence of the Clark Sisters' classic "You Brought The Sunshine", and with standard protocol, she revisits the prized favorite towards the end. The vamp lets loose into the unforgettable "You made my day" and then the MasterJammin' melody kicks in. While the song has its share of strengths, parts of the song are very repetitious and ghetto sounding and creates a irritable itch that makes you want to fast-forward to the next cut. "Authority", penned by Clark-Sheard, Houghton and Lindsey, kicks off with her giving a spoken word thesis to the cut while the background vocalists offer up a Destiny Child's "oh-ohh" line. If you are having a hard time digesting this style of music on Clark-Sheard, don't be too judgmental. She revealed moments of this on "The Heavens Are Telling" with Martha Munizzi's "Glorious", so it's really not that hard to digest. Musically, the song is funk-driven and bears hints of rock elements and gospel-tinged exhortations from Clark-Sheard towards the end. Almost reminds you of her squalling efforts on Carlton Pearson's "Live at Azusa" project - remember "Take It By Force"?

After a session of up-tempo jams, Clark-Sheard breaks it down with the cool vibes of "Favor". Biggest problems here is the lengthy time of ten long minutes and fourteen seconds and the uncountable musical changes (verse, chorus, vamp, bridge, vamp II, etc). While it is styled in the flow of a modern worship tune performed live, the song is sure to be a feat to attempt to play on radio stations. It's nice to hear Clark-Sheard pull out her infamous vocal echo, as she demonstrates musically how the voice of God reminds us of His promises to us. With Lakewood Church's "Show Me Your Glory" on board, Clark-Sheard throws in "The Lord's Prayer" with an addition of "Worship Forever"; creating a memorable worship medley. Immediately following that, a praise-break of Dr. Mattie Moss Clark's "Hallelujah" emerges. Minus the Clark Sisters' vocals and in with Houghton's seasoned singers, the adventurous tune is dazzling with its simple piano coordinations from Lindsey and infectious drum work. A neat combination and probably one of the better recordings of the classic COGIC masterpiece.

Three studio cuts close out the project with productions from her nephew J. Moss and one by her fifteen-year old son, J. Drew. "Be Blessed" features thumping bass and J. Moss's background vocal touches, While "A Living Testimony", J. Drew's debut musical production, has its case of flaws and may have been a bad way to bow out a project, but it's a reminder of the talent that stems from the Clark family tree.

After reading several reviews from other gospel publications of this project, I wanted to observe a few discrepancies. Comparing "It's Not Over" to the assuring awesomeness of "Finally Karen" is definitely a disheartening and inexcusable idea. For the mere reasons of it being a classic hit that stormed the gospel circuit in 1998, "Finally Karen" broke fallow ground for her solo career and also reintroduced us to what she does best. Singing to friendly, yet incredible songs that packed punch and lots of lasting appeal. Just because a song is busy and difficult to pull off doesn't mean it will stand the test of time. To even state this album will surpass the success of "Finally Karen", from sales to its importance in her repertoire, is an unachievable feat. From the first few listens of this project, you can easily figure this one out. While "It's Not Over" sounds incredible in comparison to her last two projects, Clark-Sheard has a new worry on her hands. Where does she go from here? Back to traditional and contemporary gospel where she excels graciously or should she continue to tackle harder challenges by going the praise-and-worship circuit; hoping that she may rub on the arms of the influential movers-and-shakers in today's popular worship music industry. Even legends run across these problems as time unfolds its weary effects upon us.