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Though from beginning to end one of the best gospel albums of its era, The Evolution of Gospel became and remains noteworthy because of three songs in particular: "Optimistic," "The Pressure," and "Testify." These three songs rocketed to the upper reaches of the R&B charts in 1992, all three entering the Top 20 and "Optimistic" peaking at number three -- remarkable numbers for such unashamed gospel music. And these weren't flukes or novelty hits. No, these were amazing songs that captured the spirit of the time, in particular the new jack swing production sound that was all the rage in the early '90s. Furthermore, it didn't hurt that Sounds of Blackness teamed with the hottest production team of the time for these songs, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who were in the process of producing Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation at the time. The result was three definitive songs that synthesized Jam and Lewis' incredibly dense rhythms with Sounds of Blackness' uplifting gospel technique. The remainder of the album unfortunately didn't feature Jam and Lewis' production, but group mastermind Gary Hines obviously knew he had a winning formula and stuck with the new jack motifs, even if he's a second-rate Teddy Riley at best. As a further testament to this album's monolithic status, it's important to note that much of this album remains as charged as it did at its prime, while all the other Bobby Browns and Color Me Badds of the time admittedly haven't aged nearly as well. Sounds of Blackness never could duplicate the success of Evolution of Gospel, the undisputed zenith of the group's career. ~ Jason Birchmeier
Gary Hines (director).
Recorded at Flyte Tyme Studios, Edina, Minnesota.
Producers: Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Gary Hines.
Personnel: Sonya Kates, Stokley Williams (vocals); Angela Henderson, Cheryl D. Warder-Reeves, Sandra Harris, Elizabeth J. Turner, Wanda Lewis, Ann Bennett-Nesby, Jamecia Bennett (soprano); Robert Edwards, Otis Montgomery, Terrence Frierson (tenor); David B. Young, Geoffrey Jones, Freddie Winston (baritone); Gregory Sears, Rojeem Taylor, Bruce Gordon (bass voice); LaSalle Gabriel (guitar); Robin Berry (harp); Franklin Wharton (flute, alto saxophone, balafon); Louis J. Wilson (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, horns); David Wright III (soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone); Larry Sims (trumpet, piccolo trumpet); Gary Hines (piano, drums, congas, timbales); Billy Steele (organ); Jimmy Jam (keyboards, drum programming); Kevin Johnson, Lawrence Waddell (keyboards); Trenon Graham (drums, percussion); Kevin Whitlock (congas, timpani); Chico Cockrell, Lance Alexander (drum programming).
The wow factor of Gospel I had this album on cassette many years ago and missed it so much that I had to seek it out on c.d format. Positivity and happiness is the main focus as with much Gospel, but this is certainly one of the best and has the power to put you in a fantastic mood if your down! Amazing! Submitted by cumminstracey (United Kingdom) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Inspirational! Truly a heart warming inspirational
ablbum. Optimistic has always been my favorite and I sing along in my car with this one! Submitted by sonjaw31 (Oxon Hill, Md.) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Paying Tribute to Our Heritage This cd was awesome! I purchased it because I was choreography an African-American dance for Black History Month and the songs had a lot of meaning which could put the audience in the mind set of how it was back in slavery times. Sounds of Blackness is a wonderful group and look forward to new releases from them. Submitted by a reviewer (Ohio, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Brilliant I love Optimistic, brilliant tune
a lot of meaning to it. :) Submitted by Unknown (Queens NYC) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Optimistic I DEEPLY love "Optimistic". This is such a great song. Submitted by Tia (Raleigh, NC) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
The wow factor of Gospel
Paying Tribute to Our Heritage
Brilliant
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