::ALBUM REVIEW::

The smooth organic sounds of Hidden Beach Recordings, one of the fastest growing music labels in the R&B/soul genre, continues to make noise with their talented roster of musicians including Jill Scott, Lina, Kindred, saxophonist Mike Phillips and soul newcomer Keite Young. But the Santa Monica-based music label is starting to tap into the gospel industry with their newly-developed Stillwaters imprint; focusing on putting their developed rich sound on the gospel message. Having the distinguished honor of being the newly crafted label’s first signed artist is Onitsha; a popular background vocalist that worked with Mary Mary, Stevie Wonder and currently can be seen and heard on the 2008 season of the popular television reality-TV series American Idol. On her colorful debut Church Girl, she is strongly supported by super producer Shep Crawford (Luther Vandross, Tamia, Kelly Price) on an eighteen-track offering digging hard into the core of modern R&B and contemporary/urban gospel.

The set’s biggest complaint may be surround the long list of songs presented, but it’s no so bad when realizing that the total time of the album is just under sixty minutes. But Church Girl pulls a heavy load of satisfying beats and infectious performances into the array; providing Onitsha - with her Brandy-esque vocals - enough space to make the songs her own. And it’s not difficult at all to find the heavyweight cuts on board. The opening cut, “Come On,” conjures up the soulful quartet sound with its delightful guitar sounds from Jimmy Russell and juicy organ vibes. It’s a nice blend of the raw Al Green/Hi-Fi sound with a modern, slick production. “My Life” is a stunner from the very start. While the big special guests (Mary Mary, Deborah Cox, Coko) brings a great deal of attention to the cut, it’s hard to resist the impeccable and well-executed rhythms - set to a memorable melody - almost reminiscent of a slower version of Earth, Wind and Fire’s “Getaway.” On the Darkchild-reminiscent production, "This Is Serious,” Onitsha surpasses all expectations with the fresh, breezy hip-hop of the rhythms from Ricky Lewis’ production. This bonus cut, co-written by the late Kayla Parker, is an irresistible presence to the album and proves to be one of the album’s biggest highlights. The futuristic sounds of “Don’t Give Up,” the Walter Milsap-produced “It’s Over Now” and the SWV-styled “This One” bring about easy comparisons to modern contemporary R&B like Brandy, Fantasia and Mary J. Blige, but Church Girl is more than just another adaption to progressive R&B. She pays tribute to her roots with the unpredictable duet with the late Mahalia Jackson on “Search Me Lord.” Using splicing methods and modern technology similar on Jackson’s Sings America’s Favorite Hymns LP (1977), the major event is done effortless - pairing Onitsha’s youthful vocals with Jackson’s big robust pipes - and is slightly updated rhythmically with Crawford’s cool drum programming. “He Is,” enthralled by a cool bass-driven groove, possesses a quick snippet of the classic hymn “Have A Little Talk With Jesus.” On "So Good”, Crawford digs into the jazz world with a sample of the Harlem Globetrotter-classic “Sweet Georgia Brown” and gives the album a playful element sure in between all of the seriousness. “This Joy” unites the neo-soulful style of Erykah Badu’s “On & On” into an acoustic jazzy texture definitely fresh to traditional gospel ears. But the lyrics of the chorus surrounds the familiar congregational hymn of Shirley Caesar’s “The World Didn’t Give It To Me” and is the perfect tribute to the heritage of old school.

For the most part, Church Girl will be easily perceived as a fun record. It is totally refreshing and possess a glowing innocence that barely meets the face of urban gospel. And while Shep Crawford isn’t unfamiliar with working on gospel records (producing for Yolanda Adams, Coko’s Grateful and Kelly Price’s This Is Who I Am) - he turns a big corner on Church Girl with memorable production and seasoned lyrics - ultimately supported by balanced material and complimentary styles. The end result surpasses Crawford’s previous gospel accomplishments and turns Onitsha into a definite shining star in the music world - period. So far, Hidden Beach is riding a wonderful wave with the fresh, stimulating talent of Onitsha on Church Girl and proves that their investment in the gospel terrain is both rewarding and quintessential.