::ALBUM REVIEW::
by J Matthew Cobb
Posted: April 19, 2009

Since dominating adult contemporary and R&B radio with his bonafide crossover ballad hit “I Need You Now,", Smokie Norful survived one-hit wonder status and even impressed the Academy by taking home a Grammy win for his 2004 album Nothing Without You in the Best Contemporary Soul Gospel category. Yet it is relevant to add that the coolness of Norful’s career and his relevance on the charts has simmered down some since his goldmine hit. On Live, Norful rediscovers the most popular trend in gospel music by using the live audience to once again build up his army of supporters. Taped at Memphis’ Canon Center, Norful isn’t a total stranger to the live atmosphere. In an effort to meet the surging demand of Norful’s quickly-growing fan base, he recorded the ten-track EP, Limited Edition, months after I Need You Now. Being a full-time pastor of Victory Cathedral Worship Center in Romeoville, IL also benefits him with interacting with his audiences. But the singer/songwriter isn’t as seasoned as a Donnie McClurkin or John P. Kee in a live audience. He stumbles over words and his thoughts during his introduction of “Justified” and he appears to be in rare form only when the music is going. Even his introduction of Heather Headley on the project lacks the oratorical emphasis it deserves.

There are a few pop-up surprises and interestingly provoking moments on the project. “Justified,” using a few good recycled ingredients from “He’s All I Need,” is a burning ballad that kicks off with warm, heartfelt lyrics and later explodes into a gospel-drenched workout perfect for Norful’s energetic ad-libs. While definitely in need of a radio edit, the song is a brilliant demonstration of a soulful storyline aided with the proper musical build-up. “He’s Gonna Come Through,” penned by Norful and Tye Tribbett, blends sweet funk with heart drum beats and a catchy melody. While mostly rendered in unison with some sing-a-long, the song intensifies with strength as it journeys through his set of modulations. Tribbett, who also guest stars, perks up the crowd with his spirited chants and ad-lib jolts. One of the better offerings, the mid-tempo paced “Mighty God” walks around a bright pop melody, accented with serenading string arrangements, and stretches six-minutes long off of friendly worship and easy-to-grasp congregational singing.

The ballads, typically beautified with strings and warm adult contemporary fuzziness, have great results but run across a few setbacks along the way. On “In The Presence of the King;” Norful, surrounded with gorgeous, yet highly glossy string arrangements, gets worshippy but the song sounds extremely identical to Donald Lawrence’s version which goes by the same name. “Dear God” gives Norful a song admirably styled like Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You.” While intimately designed to feature Norful’s prayerful vocals and piano, the song is more of a showcase of his vocal aerobics and wordy lyricism than on creating a radio-ready sequel to “I Need You Now.” The Lionel Richie-penned “Jesus Is Love” is revived for the live set and once again unites Norful with Heather Headley. While Headley’s version is a glossy studio production, there’s more passion and stage intensity showcased on their reunion here. Still, with Headley’s version already making an impact on radio, the song is already too familiar to really value Norful’s edition. The bluesy-drenched “Don’t Quit” provides a deal of inspiration to those dealing with today’s economic crunch, but it features a few familiar outputs like the bouncy horn arrangement taken from Kirk Franklin’s “Looking Out From Me” and the same bounce from Edwin Hawkins’ “God Will Take Care of You” is attached to the gospel finish. The vamp parades too long and leaves you wondering when the song will end. While uptempo cuts are present on Live, most of the album is exhaustively slow-paced and throws his youthfulness into the shrouds of placid AC.

Unless you are a devout fan of Norful’s busy vocal runs or want another caffeine jolt of the usual "I Need You Now" balladry, there’s no real need to get excited for Live. And even though the Heather Headley duet is an added jewel to the very short playlist, it’s not much of a big deal since the studio version found on Headley’s debut gospel project works just fine. Much of ths songs are plagued with over-extended choruses, the usual pop filler and not enough hit power. It’s probably time for Norful to hire some veteran writers to help spruce up his current dilemma. He’s definitely in need of an album that bears more than one or two hits.