If you recall, I posted a YouTube video of Tommye Young-West singing her hit, “Going Home,” a coupla weeks ago.  Click here if you need a refresher.

Then, I interviewed her phenomenal daughter, Candy West, as part of the On BGVs series.  Click here for THAT.

Well, I’ve gotten my eager little paws on her ENTIRE album and I’m telling you… the singin’ on this thing!  Her project, “Created To Worship,” is available now (click here to purchase), and I’ve been jamming to it for weeks!

To me, her album is a great reminder that many of our current industry favorites (gospel and otherwise) stand on the shoulders of underappreciated giants.  Having been a popular R&B singer in the 70′s, Tommye Young-West has that type of naturally soulful voice that takes you straight back to the days when singers just SANG… No premeditation, no over-practiced riffs– just raw (but accurate) vocals that seem effortless, but are really hard to replicate.

She sounds good on her ballads, but I’m an AVID fan of her more churchy tracks.  I listen to her foot-stomping “I Remember Church” EVERY morning to get my day started, and I’m NOT playin’.  I also adore “Going Home,” which was my introduction to her a couple of months ago.  And she works one song, ”Deliverance,” so tough… gather ’round, kids, and learn how it’s done!  Other stand-out tracks are “He’ll Make A Way,” which has a great quartet vibe to it, and a VERY nice, jazzy rendition of “He Touched Me.”

A quick, but honest disclaimer:  This album, genre-wise, may not be everyone’s cup of tea.  If you don’t get down with ol’ skool churchin’, you may not enjoy everything as much as I do.  That said, even if it ISN’T your genre, her vocal ability and power are undeniable and these tracks, I believe, are strong enough to convert ya!

For your listening pleasure, here’s “Deliverance”… listen, especially, to how she builds through the vamp:

Lemme know what y’all think!