James Fortune has made quite a name for himself over the past several years. With significant radio airplay and increased television appearances, he’s risen from “just another ensemble frontman” to one of the leading artists of the next generation in gospel music.
With his new project, Identity, James Fortune further solidifies his position and offers one of his best projects to date.
Backed by his group, FIYA, James Fortune presents a high-energy, but often heartfelt, collection of music that will appeal to a broad audience.
What stands out most for me on this 18-track album is the songwriting and lead vocals. Not only does Fortune feature numerous industry peers, from Fred Hammond and Kim Burrell to Le’Andria Johnson and Monica, he does so on songs with heightened musicality and authenticity. To be sure, some of the tunes follow a formula, but the bulk of the project is by far more experimental (and successfully so) than his previous work.
Stand-out cuts include the piano-guided title track, “Identity,” the churchy banger “Could Be Worse” (featuring Le’Andria Johnson and Zacardi Cortez on lead) and “What If,” a true-to-the-Gospel tune set to an absolutely beautiful melody. Pay special attention to “Curse Is Broken,” “Make A Sound,” featuring the incomparable vocal acrobatics of Nikki Ross, and the passionate “With You,” led by Kim Burrell.
My personal favorite on the album, however, is “Hold On,” an old school soul-vibed song of encouragement featuring awesome vocals from Monica and Fred Hammond. It’s just one of those feel-good tunes that doesn’t get old for me.
For fans of James Fortune & FIYA, this project will take your “fanship” to the next level. For naysayers or skeptics, take an open listen to it– you will be thoroughly impressed. If the rest of the new releases in 2012 follow James Fortune’s lead, we’ll be in pretty good musical hands.
Listen to snippets and pre-order right here.
' The Curse is Broken' lead is Todd Galbreth (@tgalbreth) not Tye Tribbett. Todd is AMAZING!
Thanks for the clarification!
Yep Todd wrote the song a couple of years ago for our church World Overcomers Christian Church in Durham, NC after @PastorAndyWOCC preached a sermon entitle the Curse is Broken. The curse is broken was a big theme at our church during the time..we had t-shirts and everything! We're all very proud! :-)
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