Reviewed by Keren Perrott

The second album from Beckah, released in 2008, marries the latest R&B and soulful pop sounds with gospel-centred lyrics that tell simple but hard-hitting stories. Through each of the 15 tracks, Shae and producer/husband Jack "Shoc" Shocklee cleverly and successfully weave in Bible truths that clearly point to Jesus and are as uncompromising to non-Christians as they are encouraging and uplifting to Christians. The opening track, "Intro", aptly sets the tone for the remainder of the album in both sound and substance; a short reminder of why the album was made and what the point of 'it all' is. 'Joy' succeeds where many other Christian R&B albums can often fail; each track is suitably distinct in pace and sound so that listening to the entire album is hugely enjoyable and each track is memorable. The only slight irritation comes with the addition of children's voices on "Holy Spirit", which is an unnecessary and overly sugary ending to what is an otherwise solid and soulful praise track. Quality production and vocals that would not be out of place amongst with Alicia Keys and co mean this album will undoubtedly reach some skeptics of Christian music who happen to love good R&B - no doubt what Shae intended from the outset.

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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