Bobby Jones - Rejoice with Me!

When one is on a mission to win over hearts and souls for The Lord, you have to meet people where they are and, if possible, have multiple tools in one's arsenal to accomplish the goal. Some receive the message more easily if it's delivered in the traditional style (a choir, pipe organs, tambourines, foot-stomping and hand-clapping) and others relate better to a more modernized approach (urbanized beats in the backdrop, a hip-hop verse or two, etc.). And that's the route that veteran performer, musician, author and TV host Dr. Bobby Jones opted for on his twelfth studio set, Rejoice With Me!

Fans of his long-running BET show, 'Bobby Jones Gospel,' will already know what to expect, and it's a warmly-conveyed winning formula: original optimistic songs, crisp, contemporary production value (Michael Bereal and Professor James Roberson) and the ever-present wall or worshipful sound provided by the Nashville Super Choir (NSC). The lead vocals come from artists of the sanctified and secular variety, such as Beverly Crawford's rich and raw channeling of "I'm Still Standing," Celetta Hunter's thunderous and galvanizing "Right Now Praise" and the calming, Kirk-Franklin-and-The-Family-esque "Created For Worship," which spells out for the skeptical why there's always a reason to praise His name: "It's just because I am going through, not because I don't know what to do/It's because of who he is, for He's the great I Am/ I'm created for worship, that's my purpose."