Reviewed by John Baugh

My goodness what an opening! If you've yet to encounter the Latin diva who has risen to gospel prominence in the States after her early work with Fred Hammond the full on funky groove of "Restore To Me" with everything (possibly including the kitchen sink) thrown in to a mega-production this will blow you away. Exhilarating! And it didn't stop there: it just kept grooving. The CD is subtitled 'A Celebration Of The Joy Of The Lord!!!' (yes, three exclamation marks) and Joann and her joyful compatriots do just that. . .CELEBRATE! Things did finally calm down eventually and then things got a bit more predictable, or at least more close to my original expectations but that didn't seem to matter much as then I got a chance to hear Joann's singing away from the firework production job of the opening. And singing is what she can do in abundance. She has a voice full of strength and control yet able to add expression to the more ballad type songs. I also got to improve my language skills as a "Come On Everybody (Vamos Todos Juntos)" was sung in part in Spanish. That Latin American influence was there in the background - popping up every now again to subtly give a new flavour and variety to the sound.

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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