::ALBUM REVIEW::

It would take Vicki Mack Lataillade's GospoCentric Records and the right timing for Kurt Carr, former musical director for gospel giant James Cleveland, to take off to national prominence. The big buzz began in 1998 when a moving worshipful ballad "For Every Mountain" started to invade African-American church choir rafts across several regions. Needless to say, it was this song found on "No One Else" (1997) that allowed people to pay closer attention to an album that was only heard by a small percentage of purchasers on the year of its release. The early disappointment of this collection's success may have surrounded the first choice for a radio single (which was a cool rendition of "Kumbaya") or maybe the failure of marketing and promotional work gone into this collection. But 1998 was a groundbreaking year of rediscovery for this powerful gospel achievement. Not only was "For Every Mountain" a valuable contribution to the gospel industry, but it catapulted a number of songs from this disc into the ears of gospel music lovers. Plus with the genius mastery of Kevin Bond and Jason White handling clear co-production duties and excellent keyboard work, "No One Else" is marked with definite satisfaction.

The flow and order of this album must be revealed in order to understand why this is a classic. After a quick but unforgettable introduction from legendary narrator Edna Tatum, "Kumbaya" breaks in with Jeremy Haynes clean drum beats. After a series of warm modulations, the song storms into a funky gospel drive on the vamp guided by hearty belting from Sherron Bennett that doesn't show any signs of weariness. Then comes the unforgettable gem, "For Every Mountain", that moves like a spiritiual version of Luther Vandross' take on "Superstar". The sweeping cut is a thankful overture that reveals emotional lyrics and an energetic arrangement that aptly demonstrates the sound of classic gospel. "Grateful", another juicy ballad, is just as good with its Thomas Whitfield creative spark and moody musical changes. The praise-and-worship sing-a-long "The Lord Strong And Mighty", which features a quick cameo appearance from Judith Christie-McAllister, was also a familiar radio cut and prepared the way for other worship flavored songs to come from Carr. "Do You Know Him" revisits Mahalia Jackson's classic and gets a contemporary makeover spiced with Bond's cool keyboard work. "Been So Good" unites the soul of classic traditional gospel with spunky funky grooves. On this cut, Sherron Bennett and Kesha Ealy along with Carr deliver moving adlibs and take turns going down memory lane with a few familiar chorus inclusions.

Even towards the end of the disc, the album continues to electrify. The "Songs That Brought Us Over Medley" is styled perfectly and blends some of gospel music's delightful memoirs like "Lord Keep Me Day By Day" and "We've Come This Far By Faith" together in a climatic celebration that is befitting for the legends. Closing the medley is a joyous churchy take on "I'll Fly Away". "Hold On Be Strong", a bonus cut, fits wonderfully towards the end and is juiced with milky R&B instrumentation and a groove that sticks.

Since the release of "No One Else", Kurt Carr continues to show the world that he has creative charm and shows no sign of stopping. But this collection is full of enjoyment and musical delight. It possesses all the right ingredients for a satisfying dish of gospel music. It's both contemporary and traditional - and is produced at a very comfortable level. It sounds good. Feels good. And is good. James Cleveland would be proud.