::ALBUM REVIEW::

After launching her brand of neo-soul on music shelves with the successful national release of "Soul Music", Lisa McClendon has helped inspire many artists struggling to find their unique creativity to thrust their musical craft onward. And she is definitely worthy of leading such a movement - especially when the gospel music radio format has been left untouched since Kirk Franklin led the contemporary gospel scene with his pop-oriented/R&B formula. The breakthrough she needed was found in her remake of "You Are Holy"; which proved to be an excellent song of choice for urban radio - falling easily into the adult contemporary/Quiet Storm and smooth R&B formats. "Hey Now" and "Stuck (Love's Anthem)" helped to make her Integrity Gospel debut a delicate project for consumers. Her latest adventure in the new music lane is "Live at the House of Blues" (guess this is a seminal attempt to cash in on John Legend's idea; in which he used last year for his first-ever DVD). Recorded live at the HOB in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina hit the shores, McClendon unleashes a saucy, raw live set containing good quality musicianship, occasional tricky horn arrangements and a cool mix of jazzy ballads and a few soulful upbeat numbers.

Things get to kicking off with "Made"; a very bright, infectious tune with encouraging words of motivation and self-esteem. It has its share of problems - for an opener, it's not so strong and the song is quite shorter in length than it should be. Plus the chorus has a dizzy effect to it. But things get much better with "Just Another Day" - a groovy, contemporary tune featuring a walking bass line and a colorful hook. The song slightly recalls the classic public domain church standard, by the same name, but gets lyrical additions, swelling horns and a bobbing musical effect. You can seriously hear a singer belt out the vamp with its strong foundation and powerful lyrics. Lisa's voice is a bit thin for this kind of a vamp, but she does pull out the right emotions and zeal while she reemphasizes the words with her ad-libs. This track is definitely a standout.

Most of the album has a subdued, relaxed feel and is dominated by slow ballads. Not always a bad thing, McClendon uses the smooth, relaxing numbers to her advantage; creating an intimate environment befitting for the HOB. "Who Can Love You More" ( penned by Willie Bonds and McClendon) is a song using the personal structures she is noted for writing; falling into a Kim Burrell-like posture and shines with a warm covering of smooth Quiet Storm vibes. The song deals with the insecurities of discouraged women trying to find their place of importance; yet an answer of hope and love is traced towards Christ whom proves his abounding love to all and heals all matters of brokenness. Jennifer Randolph's "Joy Of My Desire" gets a jazzy seven-minute arrangement and is sure to get its share of spins, like what happened for the success of "You Are Holy". Her knack of creating catchy musical changes to standards from Integrity's songbook works for her. This time around, she creates a neat addition to this project. Leon Timbo duets with her on "Desire" and does a fair job vocally, even though he falls a bit on the notes in certain places. But the music is engaging, McClendon is in her element and the flow captured here is warm on the ear. "All You've Done For Me" is a mid-tempo tune with a catchy melody captured by a soulful acoustic guitar. And of course the "Soul Music Medley" is a prized winner with McClendon changing up some of the solo arrangement; giving each song offered here a slight remix feel. Just with more attitude and thump. "Hey Now" goes into a slick horn sample of Al Green's "Love and Happiness", "Stuck (Love's Anthem)" gets more attention on the Rhodes and organ, while "You Are Holy" feels more like a reprise of the original version. Would have been nice to hear some serious feedback from the live audience, especially since this song was a big hit for her in 2003. The medley ends with a startling tag of Quincy Jones' 1989 hit, "The Secret Garden" - just with a few lyrical changes. Towards the end, there is a heavy drum solo that feels a bit indulgent, but besides this characteristic, the medley is a strong cut and is sure to mesemerize McClendon's fan base.

McClendon traces her gospel roots easily, for the first time, on this project. "Uphold Me", a classic penned by the late Ron Winans, gets revived here with moderate revisions. A slight increase of the tempo, an updated groove definitely fit for McClendon's energy and breezy horns help bring dynamics to the facelift. But the song lacks enthusiasm and feels a bit short; especially when compared to the Winans' original. "Move On Over", the label's choice for first single, finds a rambunctious New Orleans-styled rhythm tickled with a bluesy-quartet gospel flair. Not the best cut here by a mile, but it's catchy and sure to get the attention of traditional gospel lovers looking for a edge.

After careful examination, "Live at the House of Blues" is less energetic than conventional gospel live recordings. This project would have definitely been well executed if it was a studio project. It would have been more effective and easier to reconstruct loose ends. There's good material offered here with nice rhyme flows and many sparks of creativity from producer and songwriter Maurice "Mo" Henderson and McClendon respectively, but several dishonoring flaws are featured here which include a lack of energy from the audience and McClendon's uncomfortable efforts of tagging each song together with hard cut offs and uninspired addresses to the audience. With the flow resembling a studio project on most of the cuts with the short, uncomfortable breaks, it would have been more efficient to make this effort a studio-produced affair. Good instructional soul live recordings like John Legend's "Live at the House of Blues", Erykah Badu's "Live" and Jill Scott's "Experience" would have been good prototypes for this kind of an artistic expression. Instead, the pub/bar climate is deeply felt here and is a strange sound for gospel-inclined ears. While this may be a tough obstacle to look beyond, the great music, excellent background vocals from a group called Soul and clean production should not be overlooked. If only this was a studio project and there were a few more upbeat tunes offered, this would have been the perfect follow-up. It hurts to hear how lifeless the audience really is on this one. But there are great tunes offered here and it's just perfect to relax to.