::ALBUM REVIEW::

With hit records already behind them, Rev. Milton Brunson and his revived version of the Thompson Community Singers - a talented group of singers and musicians from the Chicago area - were at work in delivering captivating forms of traditional and contemporary gospel well prepared by their musical successors Darius Brooks and Percy Bady. While the genre of choir gospel flourished in a newfound development unlike any other era with the help of leading artists like Walter Hawkins, Keith Pringle and Thomas Whitfield, Brunson kept his choir atop the charts; landing some of the most unforgettable and highly respected performances of the eighties. This sound is best exhibited on their champion record, There Is Hope (1986); probably one of their most finest efforts delivered in their heyday. Bursting with joy during another live recording session at Brunson’s Christ Tabernacle Baptist Church, the group journeys through eight impressive tracks while leaning on the stellar, tight bandwork of Percy Bady (keyboards), Steven Huff (bass), Charles Willis (guitar), Sylvester Harper (organ) and the legendary Dan Cleary handling the bursting horn arrangements.

The album opens up with the breakthrough gospel ballad “Safe In His Arms;” featuring Beatrice Gardner on lead vocals. While this Darius Brooks selection has been precariously covered by droves of artists including Vickie Winans and Lucinda Moore, the original is endowed with all the perfect ingredients and contains a nostalgic glory that is befitting to its buttery lyrics. Opening up an album with a slow tempo track is a very hard thing to pull off, but using powerful ministry mixed with passionate ad-libs and a charging melodic chorus worth repeating made “Safe” a very safe choice. The energy picks up with the church funk ambitions of “If You Can Only Trust Him,” penned by Donald Alford. With mind-blowing belting and gutsy, raw outbursts from Ethel Holloway, this soulful gem served as a charming inclusion and an even better prelude to “The Holy Ghost.” Leanne Faine breathes fire into the Percy Bady tune and delivers one of her best captured performances on record. “The Holy Ghost,” decorated with punchy handclaps and a jubilant vamp set to aggressive punctuation, still outlives many traditional favorites from the ‘80s. The flashy contemporary gospel jam “Over and Over and Over” and the enjoyable theatrics of “There Is No Failure” are wonderful inclusions on the album and also are perfect glimpses of the Tommies at their best.

Heartfelt and inspiring, “Lord I Believe” finds Darius Brooks providing stirring lead vocals capped with chilling falsetto high notes and is sweetly bolted down with lovely instrumentation. Only disadvantage here is that the song is way too short and feels a bit quenched. All the more, the song is a revealing beaut that showcases Percy Bady’s phenomenal writing skills. Bady, whom formally settles to stay in the background, appears on the lead of the touching title cut; one of his very first appearances on record.

Released after Miracle Live , There Is Hope reached the number one spot on Billboard’s gospel charts; becoming the group’s first-ever number one album to be released. The unsurmountable success from this release would lead to future number ones found in If I Be Lifted, Available to You, Open Our Eyes and My Mind Is Made Up.