::ALBUM REVIEW::

Many challenges have come against urban gospel trio Trin-i-tee 5:7 including the devastation of their homeland of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina and the 1999 roster change due to the exit of Terri Brown. But all aside, they have endured a number of triumphs - which explains the recent release of their first greatest hits album. And even though that may be hard to comprehend since they have only released three albums on the GospoCentric label, the girls are easily remembered for bringing a slice of urban hip-hop to the gospel market - making it possible to imagine any gospel artist to cash in on the success of pop/R&B phenomenons like Destiny’s Child, TLC and Envogue. Songs like “God’s Grace”, “Put Your Hands” and “My Body” best sum up their joyful reign on the contemporary gospel circuit and their aims to thrust the gospel into mainstream.

The girls are now entering into a new season of their musical career with their newest album release undergirded by the brainchild of Destiny’s Child - Mathew Knowles. T57 almost feels like a re-introduction to the group and places them in the hands of producers they have never worked with. This time around, production mostly falls upon Walter Milsap (Alicia Keys, Usher, Dave Hollister) and the up-and-coming underground production trio of the Bama Boyz, while also creating the updated urban tone of their album. The change, in comparison to their previous works, is quite visible with most of the album’s big ear-thumping knockouts, like the hard-hitting urban/rock “Listen.” Not to be confused with Beyonce’ big ballad using the same name, this cut leans on their message to possible converts of the faith and a heavy dose of guitar runs. “I Need You” mixes bluesy gospel, with the help of a sample of Bobby Blue Bland’s “What A Difference A Day Makes,” with hard urban beats. Mary Mary even jumps in to give the song that extra vocal production - giving it a cleaner gloss. The song tends to feel hit-worthy in places, but comes up short with its short-lived performance and alienation of any real music changes. Solange Knowles, Beyonce’s baby sister, contributes the warm-hearted “Like U”; a cool lyrical R&B creation telling their comparisons of their beloved relationships with God and their significant others. Of course, God triumphs and so does the breezy production, along with the cute sample of Richard Smallwood’s piano intro of the 80's classic “I Love The Lord.” But the album’s biggest achievement rests on the ol’ skool throwback vibes of “I Want To Go Back.” All thanks to the sampling of Ahmad’s “Back In The Day,” the song glows with its soulful R&B swing and cool layers of keyboard plinks. The warm vocals of Chanelle Haynes and the powerful performance of group veteran Angel Taylor delights the cut and overshadows any sign of incomplete work.

But there are some really awkward moments to ponder on, including the biggest one of all - the group’s possibilities of covering R. Kelly’s “U Saved Me.” With its graphic, near-death narrative passages that most may find hard to relate to, the song pretty much sounds no different from R. Kelly’s production on the original. Only difference on this round, take out the controversial R&B crooner’s vocals and place Trin-i-tee 5:7 vocals in the mix, and you have this track. It just doesn’t sound like a big deal. Another hard pill to swallow is the amateur production and lack of musicianship resting on the cover of Douglas Miller's “Soul Is Anchored.” Even with the emotional outpouring tucked in the group’s lead vocals, the snazzy drum programming and the keyboard-manufactured organ sounds hurt the possibilities of this becoming a memorable rendition of the gospel classic. There's even a strange lack of lyrical depth in many places of the disc like on "God's Triangle." While the song gives off zesty party vibes dipped in a James Brown-funk groove and reveal the group's joyful characteristics, the song runs across a number of cliche-like rhymes and a set of underdeveloped lyrics.

The end results of T57 find the group facing groundbreaking changes in sound and direction and even shows their passion to triumph over their own personal afflictions. Sadly, it doesn’t really convey in the record’s lyrical process. Most of the lyrical content surround the same old concepts of dating/love/relationships and just having a good time (ex. on "Reflection"). Trin-i-tee 5:7 have yet to jump into mature topical avenues - something you would expect from a group that have put out a run of three albums stretching across a decade. Maybe it’s their heart’s desire to stay youthful and to appeal to youngsters and maybe they are just being consistent to what they have done in the past. After awhile, it’s going to be hard imagining Trin-i-tee 5:7 singing anything that resembles hard urban hip-hop in the next couple of years. With their apparent gospel-influenced vocals, it’s about time they start going in the direction of their gospel roots and digging into some serious lyrically-enhanced material. If that kind of change doesn’t come, eventually Trin-i-tee 5:7 might have to make another change of direction - strictly doing R&B/hip-hop.