Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Apart from her absurdly long false eyelashes, I like everything about Alexis. Since she emerged in 2012, after appearing in the fifth season of the Sunday Best Gospel TV talent search, I've been enjoying her music though admittedly not every track on her debut 'L.O.L. (Live Out Loud)' was top notch. Alexis has a powerfully soulful voice and the ability to tackle a wide range of songs and tempos as she demonstrates on this live set. There is call-and-response fire on "I'm Blessed", a trace of Motown on "It Will Be Alright" while "Drop That" features, in the words of another reviewer, "music so good that it will make you waltz to the stereo the instant it starts to turn up the volume." Lyrically the songs on 'Dear Diary', mostly penned by Fred Jerkins III and Jamar Jones, touch on subjects like prayer and God's goodness but also the challenge of tough times. I particularly connected to Alex's outburst on "It Will Be Alright". "My mother told me that if I just hold on, never lose my faith, just keep pressing on, my struggle would be over in the nick of time". Maybe not the most profound utterance you're likely to hear, but it has the ring of truth about it.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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