On her third full-length album, 2018's
Kirk Franklin-produced
Hiding Place, singer
Tori Kelly pivots away from the secular pop of her platinum-selling 2015 album,
Unbreakable Smile, and delivers a joyful set of faith-based songs that balance contemporary gospel soulfulness with warm R&B hooks. Given
Kelly's move to a sleek contemporary gospel vibe, her fans who came on board with previous singles like "Dear No One" and "Could've Been Us" might worry that she has sacrificed some of her own personality and acoustic guitar-based style in service of fitting into a specific genre box. Thankfully, while there is an overall tonal shift here, the results feel organic and true to who
Kelly, a practicing Christian, seems to be. One of the pleasing aspects of
Hiding Place is the organic soundscape
Franklin and
Kelly achieve, deftly combining
Stevie Wonder-esque '70s instrumentation with an ear for the ringing, sleek gospel productions
Franklin is known for. Tracks like the opening "Masterpiece," featuring rapper
Lecrae, and the buoyant "Sunday" find
Franklin framing
Kelly's highly resonant voice with vibrant gospel backing vocalists, organ, and crisp bass grooves. Elsewhere,
Kelly is joined by
Anthony Hamilton's vocal trio,
the Hamiltones, on the passionate "Help Us to Love," and displays her knack for earnest, emotive balladry on the thoughtful "Psalm 42."
Franklin himself joins her on the uplifting "Never Alone," as does singer
Jonathan McReynolds for the laid-back acoustic guitar number "Just as Sure." Certainly, taken as a shift from the world of pop to gospel, there's a sense of genre exploration and discovery here, and
Hiding Place is as much a
Kirk Franklin production as a
Tori Kelly solo album. That said, even when she is singing a song written by
Franklin, as with the searching "Questions," in which she ruminates on the challenges of keeping one's faith in the face of tragedy and despair, the sentiments always feel genuine. Ultimately, while the gospel nature of the album will certainly cater to fans of Christian-based pop, the religious messages shouldn't stop
Kelly's secular fans from enjoying what she's achieved here. ~ Matt Collar