Associate Editor Troy Lilly recalls a time when there was no disappointment in buying a whole CD, and he uses this classic project as a prime example…
Allow me to take you back in time a few years… to 1997. Ok, that’s a bunch of years, but just go with me. It was the dawn of the digital age in music – Napster and the mp3 were just beyond the horizon. Cassette tapes were slowly disappearing, CDs were ubiquitous, and hip-hop music was finding a new home in churches.
We’ve come a long way since then. However, the albums recorded in those pre-digital-music days remain some of my most beloved. Case in point, Strength, released in October ’97 by John P. Kee and The New Life Community Choir, is for me a watershed moment in contemporary gospel music.
Although Kee and NLCC had recorded seven albums together prior to Strength, this project became their quintessential and most defining work. It featured signature elements like extensive vamping, ornate horn and rhythm sections, and a seamless fusion of traditional and progressive styling.
It’s apparent from the very first track, “Come In,” a plush piano ballad, that each element is in top form. The melody is enveloping, the lyrics invoke you to worship, and the lead vocals from Kee – as well as three of NLCC’s familiar vocalists – further embellish this stunning opener.
A number of other soulful worship ballads appear throughout the album, such as the praise-and-worship staple, “I Do Worship,” in addition to “I’ll Be Your Everything” and “I Bow Out.” In each of these, Kee and the musicians succeed at incorporating soul without compromising the spirit in which they deliver it.
But it was also a time when gospel music had started to embrace the sounds of other genres, and in accordance with the times, Strength did just that. The title track is a surprisingly successful blend of call-and-answer choir music with highly percussive hip-hop drum programming.
Furthermore, on the album’s sole studio track, “Eastside/Westside,” Kee and NLCC essentially deliver a rap-sung collaboration, fully incorporating hip-hop elements. They would experiment more extensively with hip-hop on their next album together, 2000′s Not Guilty: The Experience.
The inclusion of hip-hop and soul, however, never overshadows the North Carolina roots of John P. Kee or his choir. What they do best are lively choir songs. Just as Show Up and Wash Me before, Strength is packed with oft repetitive, vamp-heavy songs that are the trademark of church musicals and choir anniversaries.
Among them are “Turn Around” and “Mighty God,” laced with stellar brass arrangements and modulations. On the more traditional side, “Clap Your Hands” and “He Did It All” showcase Kee in his most natural vein, supplying unforced adlibs and breaking the band down for a “country two-step.”
So, all these years later, Strength remains an incredible album. Even alongside more recent gospel albums, it still stands out because of its cohesiveness and overall musical mastery. The sound was at once reminiscent of earlier gospel, while also reflective, if not definitive, of where it was headed.
And I must throw in honorable mention for drummer LaDell Abrams, who I believe was an important ingredient to the sound on this project. His sweet-sounding snare and pitch-perfect toms encouraged me to pick up the sticks myself… but I digress.
It kind of makes me sad now to think of the days when music was so good, the CD would get all scratched up before you got tired of listening to it. Remember how folks used to repurchase an album because their first copy had gone to CD heaven? Nowadays, some folks don’t buy albums at all. Digital music retailers like iTunes and Amazon offer songs a la carte so you don’t have to waste money on the ones you don’t like as much.
But that’s what I love so much about this album; each song feels cohesive to the overall package, yet individually, they’re still standouts. Regardless of how it’s being served –physical or digital – this is still one of my favorite gospel albums ever!
Do you remember when Strength came out? Or do you have another favorite John P. Kee & NLCC album? Do you get your music on iTunes or from Mom and Pop?
