Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church, pastored by Archbishop Alfred A. Owens and First Lady Susie Owens, has a gifted music ministry. Their Greater Mount Calvary Men of Valor Choir won the overall regional choir award for Washington, DC in last year’s How Sweet the Sound competition.

But on the church’s newly released debut CD, you’ll hear all their singers ministering as one body, the Greater Mount Calvary Recording Choir. Here’s a track-by-track review of Greater Mount Calvary LIVE As Told By The Music Ministry…as told by yours truly!

“Intro” – Bishop and Co-Pastor Owens give a 40 second introduction. And, now that I’ve heard it once, I’ll never need to be re-introduced again!

“He’s Worthy/Reprise” – Though this energetic song fits nicely as the opening number, something did throw me a bit. The tone of the sopranos differed from the other sections. But, I still found myself swaying and singing along.

“The Battle Belongs to God” – Get ready to break down that mug and shrug those shoulders! We’re having CHUUUCH! Great track, though the song could’ve been whittled down in the middle a bit.

“We Worship Your Name” – This is a beautiful song. The lyrics, “Forever and ever/Through the ages, You reign/Jehovah, our maker/We worship Your name,” pulled me into worship. Worshippers will love this…

“Daily I Shall Worship Thee/Reprise/Exhortation” – …and this! I especially loved hearing AUTHENTIC WORSHIP from the audience! There weren’t any fake clap/praise/worship tracks on this LIVE CD!

“War Cry” – You all know this one. “Oh, oh, oh, OOOOH!” I do wish “War Cry” faded out at the end instead of being cut off so abruptly.

“God is Worthy to be Praised” – With simply a piano (and a drummer towards the end), the soloist painted the picture of God’s goodness. The congregation couldn’t let it go…and neither could I.

“Christ Did It All/Praise Break” – The lead vocalist was WOW! This is a nice worship song with an AWESOME lead vocalist.

“He Could Have Let Me Drown” – Age Christopher Brinson’s “What if God” by a few years and you’ll get this song. A kick drum, light cymbals, and tight vocals make this a nice treat. Grab this for your Heritage services this February!

“Create in Me A Clean Heart” – Lyrically, this is straight from the scriptures. Musically, this is the most creative song on the CD. The syncopation and bongos are a nice touch.

“Nobody Like Him” – We’re back to our handclaps and shoulder shrugs! Good ol’church!

“Morning Praise” – The lead vocalist lovingly sings of Christ’s name being worthy of praise for 3 minutes. Then, the choir joins her for another 5 minutes or so. Lovely…but long.

“Jesus is Worthy” – This is the closest you’ll get to a youthful praise jam on this project. Simple and repetitive, you’ll catch on quickly. It’s definitely catchy.

Overall, I think this traditional choir CD is cohesive with some very POWERFUL worship moments. If you like your gospel music super churchy, this is definitely for you!