With many R&B artists, the idea of singing Gospel is a career-long itch that needs to be scratched, a return to their earliest days of public performance: singing in a church choir. So, while it may not have seemed inevitable when they were singing ultra-sexy songs in the 80s like "Say You" and "In the Raw," it isn't entirely surprising that after four decades together singing contemporary R&B, the Whispers released Thankful in October 2009, the group's first full Gospel album.
The Whispers have clearly been contemplating a Gospel album for a few years, having put their toe in the water on the song "I Sing This Song For You" from their 2006 album For Your Ears Only. And, as was the case with the silky "I Sing," Thankful is Gospel made on the Whispers own terms. In other words, don't be looking for organ-dominated songs or lots of call and response. Most R&B artists who have made the Gospel leap have done so by transforming their style to a traditional, even formulaic, Gospel sound; the Whispers have instead made the Good Word come to them, dressing spiritual messages in the kind of adult soulful style that the group has been using for at least two decades. This is an urban adult contemporary album very similar to For Your Ears Only except that the quartet is singing to Jesus rather than to their honey.
For Thankful, the Whispers have brought in the production help of longtime associate Magic (leader of the group Unified Tribe) as well as Gospel heavyweight Fred Hammond and keyboardist Ralph Hawkins, Jr., and the various tracks of the album bear the distinct imprint of their producers. Hammond's work is particularly strong, as he delivers the great ballad "One More Chance," one of the album's highlights, and the solid midtempos "This Is How I Feel" and "We Need You."
This wonderful group of gentlemen have been serenading us with their heavenly vocal harmony for over 40 years.Their new CD "THANKFUL" with the hit "For Thou Art With Me" proves that whether singing to the ladies, or to The Master they will not let us down. After the first lyric, you can tell immediately that it is indeed a WHISPER song. Lead singers SCOTTY and WALTER SCOTT with NICHOLAS CALDWELL and LEAVEIL DeGREE have impeccable harmony and style, and it show's!!
SAY YES and purchase it today, you will be tHANKFUL that you did.
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