This is a well-executed release from
Fontella Bass, the daughter of St. Louis gospel icon Martha Bass. She uses a more subdued voice than the wail she employed on "Rescue Me," a big hit in the '60s. The Institutional Radio Choir,
David Sanborn's crying sax, and
Lester Bowie's piercing trumpet assists
Bass on 11 uplifting numbers. She shines brightest on
Shirley Caesar's "You Don't Know What the Lord Told Me," "No Ways Tired," "All My Burdens," and "This Little Light of Mine," where everyone involved lets their hair down. A remake of
Burt Bacharach and
Hal David's "What the World Needs Now," is more pop than gospel and seems out-of-place. Unlike
Al Green, whose singing intensified when he reverted to gospel,
Bass' gift has become more restrained. ~ Andrew Hamilton