::ALBUM REVIEW::

Out with the creativity and in with the ol’ skool sampling. This is the prime resort for Gospel maestro Kirk Franklin on his long-anticipated “Hero” project; a studio project taking him back to his “Nu Nation Project” roots. The obvious difference from that project compared to this one: Kirk is missing The Family on background vocals and is replaced with a reasonable list of familiar voices ranging from Nikki Ross, Anthony Evans and Myron Butler. What Kirk’s last project (“The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin”) merited in creating music fitted for the church world, this project attempts to do for the secular market. Usually Franklin’s previous musical offerings (“Whatcha’ Lookin’ 4, “Nu Nation Project”, “Kirk Franklin Presents God’s Property”) are well-balanced; crafted in such a way to appeal and to satisfy people from all walks of life. Not this time around.

The closest to traditional gospel you have here is “Brokenhearted”, which finds Pastor Marvin Winans alongside Franklin’s soft-spoken and sensitive choir directing. With smooth organ punches from Jerome Harmon backed by Terry Baker’s drum touches, the song is six minutes long and the closest to authentic church music you will find here, unless you want to consider the “Intro (America The Beautiful)” performed by the Africa’s Children Choir.

But there are a few groovy studio cuts that are promising. “Looking For You” heavily depends on the Patrice Rushen 1980 R&B/club classic “Haven’t You Heard” for its sophisticated melody. The groove, no doubt, is famously irresistible; enough to make any lyric sound convincing. While most of the lyrics don’t rhyme or sound elementary in most places, the song’s grooving thump pulsates so strong enough that many won’t really care about the minor flaws. “Could’ve Been Me” formulates itself around a party-like atmosphere which is energized even more with friendly vocals from J. Moss and Tye Tribbett. The bulk of the song is founded on sassy background vocals sung in unison. But things change for the better when the choir jumps into thankful phrasing on the vamp saying “thank ya, thank ya, it could have been me” and the jazzed horns take over. Unique paring of J. Moss and Tribbett on vocals: definitely a first and shouldn’t be the last since their vocals work together fah ‘hezzee’. Sad to believe, the song is just too long. If only it was an edited version. Kirk experts can agree that the song sounds a little familiar - like a cross with “When I Get There” and "I'm Ready". Let’s hope Kirk ain’t sampling his own stuff for God’s sake.

Speaking of sampling, Earth Wind And Fire’s “Keep Your Head To The Sky”, released in 1973, is sampled on Kirk’s “Keep Your Head”. The original song was already a spiritual piece, Kirk adds his brand of inspirational lyrics to the mix along with a bell-like sounds and a funky R&B flair to it. On the chorus, you can actually here Philly Bailey’s falsetto vocals embedded in the mix. “Sunshine” finds special moments from Randy Crawford’s “You Bring The Sun Out” (1987) at an Alvin & the Chipmunk escalated speed and a loop from Jennifer Holiday’s “Say You Love Me” (penned by D.J. Rogers) tucked deep in Kirk’s composition. Tears For Fears’ 1985 hit “Shout” finds its way on “Let It Go”. The edgy rock sound is slowed down, but the song is still there. This time, Christian Contemporary legends tobyMAC and Sonny Sandovol of P.O.D. dives in where the legendary Tears For Fears left off. Merged in the musical potpourri is various musical styles ranging from classical (the strings) and hip-hop (Kirk handling the rapping which appears to be autobiographical and personal). You even hear Kirk give a special nod to Tears For Fears on this one. Kirk shows his creative side for a minute here, but with all of the heavy sampling here and barely anything sounding like his debut project here, it’s difficult to understand what Kirk is really aiming after in his career.

Now to the rest of the album. The title cut, featuring Evangelist Dorinda Clark-Cole towards the end, bears a J. Moss texture to it along with a nice piano layer and a pop-like drive. Try not to make your choir sing this at church; very wordy indeed. The encouraging theme continues on “Better” as it depends on the scripture for powerful validation. “Count it all joy”, “no weapon formed against you shall prosper”...you get the message. The groove definitely is tucked in heavy drum programming and rock-like elements. “Why” finds blazing horns reminiscent of Earth Wind And Fire’s horn section and music legend Stevie Wonder handling lead vocals, while Kirk in his traditional way jump in with his familiar rap style. “Without You” stages a hoarse Kirk Franklin on the microphone, yet singing passionately with his background vocalists later turning this smooth ballad into a nice piece. Even though Kirk doesn’t sing much these days and he is known mostly for his production, song writing and over-cooked raps, it’s good to hear him sing a few notes even if it’s not the best. Or for that matter, it’s not Kirk’s best. If you want to hear his best vocally, find the debut project featuring “He’s Able” and “He Can Handle It”.

This is a very different album for Kirk. Nothing like his previous works. It’s not his best balanced album either, even with twenty tracks making the grade. And even with all of the superstars on here, it’s pretty hard to believe this still cannot match up with Kirk’s earlier works. Originality is key in this kind of biz, and while Kirk attempts to reform his style to sound like the secular side (which isn’t such a bad idea), he seems to loses touch with his foundation and niche’ during this process. Still, we have heard worse from the contemporary gospel star (*cough*Kingdom Come*cough*1NC). Next round, we expect less tracks and more original, Kirk standards. And another observation: If Kirk’s last project was called “The Rebirth”, then what should this one be called?