::ALBUM REVIEW::

Shirley Caesar has been recording and performing gospel music since she was ten years old and has recorded numerous albums for the HOB, Savoy and Word Records labels. The latter is where she gained a great deal of acclaim and notoriety; earning her dozens of GRAMMYs, Dove and Stellar Awards. Sometimes it’s hard to pick a favorite album from artists that have proven to be consistent and highly appreciated, but Shirley Caesar’s Stand Still project - the Grammy recipient of 1993's Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album - proves to be an exceptional, easy-listening experience for soulful gospel enthusiasts. The conviction and rousing stamina from the First Lady of Gospel is captured here at its possible finest and finds her in a comforting posture on both the studio and live cuts. The fabric of Stand Still is greatly supported by Caesar and her longtime writing partner Michael E. Smith - with major support from renowned choirmaster O’landa Draper and exceptional background choirs (Christ Church Choir, the Associates). Delicate, careful production along with infectious horn arrangements from Bubba Smith and Sanchez G. Harley is greatly revealed here - making the tracks age well with time.

Opening the album is the joyful contemporary title cut - fitting perfectly for Caesar’s personality. The cut is best remembered for her engaging duet with John P. Kee. Michael E. Mathis “Leave Them In The Hands Of The Lord” and the cool-funky “The Sun Is Going To Shine” are both moving songs of encouragement and show a confident Caesar running through contagious performances. With Draper’s Associates on board, the sound is intensified with a quality. “Keep On Movin’” is a soulful Broadway-styled performance featuring several mood changes, a cutesy sample of the hymn “We’re Marching To Zion” and a churchy swift tempo change on the closing. With the Caesar Singers taking a few turns on ad-libs alongside their leader, the song is definitely the atomic blast the album needs for a listener’s stamp of approval. Even though the fiery uptempo cuts are primarily the highly favored options of the disc, the soothing vibrations of Danny Graham’s reflective ballad “You Did It All” and the Draper-penned, traditional-flavored “Just As I Am” - both tucked towards the end of the disc - are worthy of mentioning. Caesar even renders an inspiring sermonette full of motherly love on the slow-paced “Pastor Shirley Caesar Talks To The Youth (We Love Our Children.”

Fans of Shirley Caesar’s past work had no problem finding indulgence in this disc. With a cleaner production, a phenomenal cast of musicians and supporting vocals, superb songwriting and Caesar at the top of her game, Stand Still is surely one of her greatest achievements to date. The album climbed to number three on Billboard’s gospel charts and made a dent on the Contemporary Christian side; reaching number 37.