::ALBUM REVIEW::
by J Matthew Cobb
Posted: September 15, 2009

With a vocal that resembles the tonality of Regina Belle and the sweetness of Angela Winbush, Sharon MaRee, born Sharon Norwood, does her best to occupy her R&B-crafted chops around a sophisticated set of modern jazz and atmospheric soul on Triumph. One thing can be said about her big debut: it’s drastically distinctive and apart from gospel’s top 40 format. But let’s set the record straight; this isn’t her first project. In 2007, she released God Is Real on the small independent DASM label, but she now joins the roster of T Records (which encompasses roster buddies CoCo McMillan and the Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir and is operated by Emtro Gospel label mogul Troy Sneed and his son Troy Jr.).

“So Amazing” blends the Alicia Keys pop-soul ethic, using that familiar piano lacing, with smart contemporary jazz toppings. The album's biggest star, “No One," takes a familiar Isaac Hayes arrangement of Bacharach/David’s “The Look of Love” and intertwines it with a cool, tranquil Quiet Storm breeze. MaRee brings the mainstream sounds into her open letter of gratefulness. She does jump into more gospel-honed performances on “My Worship,” "Where Would I Be,” and the gospel chorus of “Celebrate,” but it’s not enough to appeal to traditional gospel audiences.

It's definitely the mature, sophisticated midnight soul that captures the best of MaRee's musical aresnal. “Sweeps Me,” with all the right ingredients for a Jill Scott breathy love song, and “The Greatest Love” are big, irresistible splashes of mature R&B. “The Way You Love Me,” shuffling with an appealing blend of AC and rock and some smart guitar solos, gives birth to one of the album’s biggest lyrics: “You’re my sun that shines/taking all my rain away/Ain’t no candy made that’s sweeter than my Savior’s name.”

Probably the only achy-breaky entrees abide in the Latin shuffles of the lyricless-drained and repetitive nature of the album opener “Free” and the piano/vocal extravagant intro of “Where Would I Be.” But MaRee, guided by a generous plate of silky soul and fine layers of acoustic production, finds a clever way to escape much criticism. Her style by itself is a refreshing concoction of soap opera romance and CeCe Winans’s urban gospel deliveries. It sounds misleading and boldly risque on the surface, but Triumph is more than just steamy foreplay. Musically, MaRee has found a unique style that best suits her breezy performances. It might take a few listens and a dab of patience to actually get into the mood of the grown-up sound, but MaRee, along with the support of album producer Jason White, delivers one of the most interesting gospel albums of the year. While the first and last cut may be the bait to bring in conventional gospel wanderers into Triumph, it’s the content in between that sums up the album’s enduring success.