Reviewed by Pauline Muir

The concept of gospel karaoke is one that perhaps needs a little getting used to. Indeed it could be argued that the elements of spontaneity, free movement of the Spirit, ad lib and improvisation are undermined within the fixed format of a karaoke structure. Nonetheless it must also be acknowledged that the format fulfils a function in the same way as a backing tape. This album contains four well known gospel tracks from Smokie Norful, Darwin Hobbs, Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers and Lamar Campbell and Spirit Of Praise. The first four tracks are performed with backing singers, followed by the tracks. A useful resource for any church choir. Pauline Muir This might be a steady seller in shops with strong Afro Caribbean support though I wonder whether anyone into the old time gospel sound listening to the lush pop jazz of Smokie Norful's "I Need You Now" or the strings and finger snaps of Darwin Hobbs' "Nobody Like Jesus" would recognize these slickly produced backing tracks as gospel. The other tracks (with of course alternative artist performances) are "God's Favor" by Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers and "It's All About The Love" by Lamar Campbell & Spirit Of Praise. If you fancy yourself as a Raymond & Co of the future, you'd better get your order in. Tony Cummings

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