Crystal Sherie

Inventive at every turn, and serving as a masterful showcase of the growing Trinity Records roster, this compilation is the musical equivalent of Christmas turkey —delicious, filling and deserving of a second helping. Thoroughly urban, production by Derek S. Clark is sensational throughout, as he puts his production hand to everything on the project with the exception of the two Kenny Smith self-produced cuts. Divine Nature's cover of Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" , the gentle hilarity of the "Christmas Party Interlude", SOUL's remix of "Jesus Gave His Life", Kenny Smith's ghetto-themed "Drummer Boy", new artist Washington DC / Baltimore Children's Choir boisterous island-tinged "Sing Noel", C-ROB's hiphop celebratory "A Party Ain't A Party".... you may as well put a star beside every single track!

- reviewed by Stan North, Melanie Clark and Gerard Bonner

The fusion of gospel and R&B is nothing new but just occasionally someone comes along and catches your ears as they meld the two styles together. Kenny Smith is a talented vocalist and multi-instrumentalist ( a veritable one-man band!) and he has produced an album that sounds fresh and exciting. The title track of his 1991 album 'Don't Give Up' is still one of my all time favourite songs and although this follow up has been a long time coming, I approached it with great anticipation. Although it's great, this still isn't the classic world-stopping album that I dream he'll drop on me! But hey! It's still wonderful! Deeply soulful in nature, this is a gorgeous album and whether it's the vulnerable ' I Will Do Anything' where he turns the pain of criticism around for good or the in-your-face rap attack of 'Victory Shall be Mine' or 'Living On The Frontline', he's at home stylistically. The sax filled 'Mender Of Broken Hearts' is the epitome of soul as Kenny gets intimate with the mic and shares the truth of God's healing. There's loads here which will send tingles down your spine! The groovy shuffle of the title cut allows Kenny to let go a little in Stevie Wonder fashion and then suddenly he's into 'Tell Me Something Good', a distinctive joy-filled Wonder-penned song featuring some fine guitar work from Michael Johnson and a great rap from C-Rob. All in all, a close to classic R&B gospel album, welcome back Kenny Smith!
- Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

"We are SOUL, we got sounds for your soul,
we’re here to let you know
Who it is we stand for…"

Soul emerges from the US Northwest with a self-titled debut project crammed with smooth gospel jams from an impressive array of gospel songwriters. This hand-picked 9-member youthful group accurately define themselves as “a group of refreshing, energetic yet smooth contemporary vocalists, singing gospel lyrics with urban grooves.” Quality is the key-word to the project, and is driven home by the same solid Trinity Records team responsible for the Stellar-award winning Kenny Smith project, So Real. The “Rhythm and Praise” style shines through, captivating the ear from the irresistable “Come On Home”, to the riding rap flows of Aminta Davis on “I Will Bless the Lord” and Crystal Odom on “Uptown”. The inclusion of a souful remake of the classic Commissioned song “I Love Thinking of U” led me to grab the liner notes for a quick study of the album credits. Derek S. Clark wrote most of the songs, with support from Anson Dawkins on the strong cut “Heat of the Moment”.
- reviewed by Stan North

Inventive at every turn, and serving as a masterful showcase of the growing Trinity Records roster, this compilation is the musical equivalent of Christmas turkey —delicious, filling and deserving of a second helping. Thoroughly urban, production by Derek S. Clark is sensational throughout, as he puts his production hand to everything on the project with the exception of the two Kenny Smith self-produced cuts. Divine Nature's cover of Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" , the gentle hilarity of the "Christmas Party Interlude", SOUL's remix of "Jesus Gave His Life", Kenny Smith's ghetto-themed "Drummer Boy", new artist Washington DC / Baltimore Children's Choir boisterous island-tinged "Sing Noel", C-ROB's hiphop celebratory "A Party Ain't A Party".... you may as well put a star beside every single track!

- reviewed by Stan North, Melanie Clark and Gerard Bonner