::ALBUM REVIEW::
by J Matthew Cobb
Posted: November 5, 2009

It has been a wonderful forty plus years for the incomparable Vanessa Bell Armstrong. With the help of strong producers in her corner, the soul gospel veteran whom co-labored alongside such nostalgic icons such as Mattie Moss Clark and Thomas Whitfield has worked up a colorful resume’ that finds her worthy of being called a living legend. Her hits are almost impossible to tally up (“Nobody But Jesus,” “For God So Loved the World,” “Pressing On,” “Something On the Inside,” “Peace Be Still”). In honor of such a lasting legacy and after the industry went cold on the nice reinventing of the R&B diva on 2007's Walking Miracle, super-producer and hit maker Donald Lawrence decided to produce her next event. The Experience, taped live at the Harold Washington Cultural Center in Chicago, presents Armstrong back in front of a live crowd since the brilliantly-executed Desire of My Heart - done almost a decade prior.

“Good News,” a stellar rendition of Aretha’s So Damn Happy gospel song, gets tweaked in all the right places - and even rises to the occasion as being the album’s frontrunner with its simple, yet powerhouse added vamp (“Prayer still works”). Armstrong doesn’t shy away from her gritty ad-libs and her boltzy vocal takeoffs. The Experience also highlights her incredible 40-year run on the gospel highways with a few inviting Thomas Whitfield flashbacks (“What He’s Done for Me,” “Any Way You Bless Me”) and a revisit to her career-making single “You Bring Out the Best in Me.” At times, the latter refocuses in on her Detroit connections, even inserting a picture-perfect reprise laying out peacefully and uninterruptedly the creamy background vocals of Lawrence’s A-team, but the Rance Allen guest appearance should leave listeners frantically searching for a less raw gospel, more Anita Baker touch-up.

Armstrong still finds her way on well-selected ballads like Vashawn Mitchell’s “Help,” “The Blood” and “Hand of the Lord” (originally seen on Bobby Jones’ overlooked GospoCentric project). “Help,” an artifact taken from the D. Lawrence encyclopedia, is momentous and even life-changing in its melodic build-up and powerful lyricism.

What’s ironically missing from Armstrong’s collection is the fun, ready-for-church fire starter. Whether it’s a simple praise offering or the big churchy drive like “Suddenly” from Eddie Long’s Spirit and Truth album, the album lacks a bonafide rouser that would easily display Armstrong’s fun and infectious side. Another bomber encircles Armstrong’s wild and super-raspy squeals; now altering into brute forces beyond being pleasurable. It’s also a joy to see Lawrence, a devout Whitfield fan, pitching in to help Armstrong’s career but his effort here feels a bit sluggish when compared to the bigger budgets and productions originally set for the Murrills, Clark Sisters and the retired Tri-City Singers. The Experience is not as charming as Desire Of My Heart, but it’s a sizable effort in recapturing the ambience of Armstrong’s live ministry.