::ALBUM REVIEW::

The powerhouse muscle of the Gospel Music Workshop convention continues to flex in the face of gospel music lovers in the new century. And with their leaders, Rodena Preston and Bishop Albert Jamison, desiring to draw new blood and attention to their popular convention, critics are skeptical if they can pull off the successful “assembly line” projects from the Women of Worship, Mass Choir, Men’s Chorus and Youth Mass Choir that invaded most of the 1990s.

In an attempt to take a slight turn of direction in the packaging department, Bishop Albert Jamison brings the New York State Mass Choir back together for a special recording showing off the great talents of the Big Apple. And he does a great job in bringing a large number of their biggest drawing cards to the disc including Tyscot Records’ Lucinda Moore, Hezekiah Walker, LFCC’s alumnus Kervy Brown, Melonie Daniels, Anaysha Figueroa and Rev. Timothy Wright. Then there’s a few Jamison supporters on board including Bishop Paul S. Morton and gospel giant John P. Kee. Add in some of the state’s revered, signature songwriters to the table and the album has all the ingredients to bake the perfect cake. But like albums like this that overflows with high expectations, they are usually downgraded to being no more than a novelty event.

Things open up with a nice dose of crunk with Jules Bartholemew’s “Just Your Name Alone;” an uptempo contemporary gospel number that finds Hezekiah Walker and Lucinda Moore riding the groove with their lead vocals (except when Walker executes notes off key on the opening of the vamp). Using a praise-and-worship vibe and even attaching the chorus of “O Come Let Us Adore Him” into the works, the song brings the vibrant 90's East Coast choir sound back to memory. But the song is the perfect introduction to the biggest complaint the New York State Mass Choir faces - that is, the harmonies sounds too studio-formatted and lacks the richness of real-life vocals assembled in a live recording setting. The overdubs are so overwhelming and far from being believable for a mass choir that the group sounds like the remnants of a Kirk Franklin production. Even with this stumbling block of a production oversight, the thirteen-track project has a host of memorable, appealing highlights and are anchored by Jamison’s distinguished presence -a trait he has easily learned from the late king of gospel. Pastor Kevin Bond (of James Hall fame) introduces Butch Heyward’s very-repetitious “Born Again.” The song may be obviously empty lyrically, but the peppered groove is sure to rock a choir raft even on a dry day. Shawn Brown’s “Nothing Shall Separate Me (I Can’t Do It)” stills the show with its engaging Walter Hawkins-ish song structure marinade and modernized interpretation of the popular scripture found in Romans 8:35. By the time Kervy Brown and works up an emotional lather from their verses and soulful ad-libs, the song sticks out as one of the disc’s definite moments of gospel infection.

Certain cuts, using an earnest amount of sensibility, have likeable features and tend to gain a considerable dose of favor after a few extra plays. Obvious choices include J.J. Hairston’s unusually, churchy-flavored “Lily Of The Valley”, Jules Bartholomew’s “Calvary”, the worshipful Don Moen remake of “Like A Shepherd” and the culminating rendition “He Won’t Fail You.” The latter, penned by Rev. Milton Biggham, features Rev. Timothy Wright and Jamison tag-teaming together on a spruced up-tempo funky groove. In its most natural sense, even with the little flaws this version host, this track is one of the anchoring styles that best describes New York-based gospel.

Jamison, no stranger to gospel recordings, first made his introduction on the world working with the Triboro Mass Choir in the late 70s and 80s and worked with the late Rev. James Cleveland. His biggest musical contribution to date took place in 1979 with the Grammy-nominated “In God’s Own Time (My Change Will Come).” Jamison revisits the aforementioned gospel classic with Bishop Paul S. Morton providing extra soulful ad-libs towards the end. “My Witness (Is In Heaven)”, another Tri-boro classic, is also recreated and is strongly supported by driving instrumentation. The title cut, composed by famed writer David Frazier, is an urban worship ballad that features poetic manifestation done in just one repetitive chorus set to a number of modulations. The song does fester for five minutes long - too long for such a simple chorus - but with the right instrumentation, keyboard-generated strings and Jamison’s exhortations, the song’s beauty still outshines its weaknesses. Believe it or not, it is his emotional testimony and exhortations on the opening of “Not My Will” that secures Jamison’s importance on the project. He opens the cut with insightful and encouraging revelations regarding God’s presence and even digs deeper into the pain that he experienced when his son recently passed away. In the narration. Jamison challenges God and asks “Where were you when my son died?” God responds, according to Jamison, and states “I was [in] the same place when my Son died.” Those words are enough to give strength to those dealing with death. And even though some of his remarks in the introduction doesn’t really blend with the heart of the aforementioned selection, it’s just right for the project and proves that Jamison has learned a lot from his paternal example: Rev. James Cleveland.

Some songs fail to generate the kind of luster one should expect from a project like this. “I Owe You All The Praise,” featuring guest vocalist John P. Kee, sounds like something Kee would have recorded back in the early ‘90s but it is designed like a quick workshop song and does feel dated in many spots. And on “Chosen Generation”, the song is another repetitive cookie-cutter template worship song that runs through a flood of modulations and even a quick reggae-influenced tag featuring Donnie McClurkin/Kirk Franklin’s infamous line: “Clap ya’ hands if ya’ really love Jesus.” Sadly, the song goes on for too long - stretching past the six-minute mark. If it was reshaped a little and cut down in size, the song would have been a much more enjoyable experience.

A project like this, featuring an all-star cast, usually have high expectations attached to it and lately, recent projects generating big names and big composers like T.D. Jakes’ Follow The Star, Richard Smallwood’s “Journey” have disappointed listeners. But there is a friendly, well-received candor that flows from Show Yourself Mighty. There’s a great host of good material featured coming from different angles of gospel, plus it is versatile in both style and organization. And even though the album stretches out across a format of an epical seventy minutes and is wounded by the choir’s lack of raw, soulful singing for a mass choir, it does showcase the heart of Jamison for the new birth or hopeful renaissance for gospel’s future. Hopefully this kind of shift will help bring new and talented blood through the veins of the Gospel Music Workshop.