Pastor Christopher Chappell - Blessing Me (2009)

The Grace Community Church in Kennesaw, Georgia is one of the fastest growing churches in the Atlanta area.  This may be due to the church's house choir - The Anointed Voices of Grace - being considered one of the region's top-rated choirs.  With all that hype, it was only a matter of time before the choir, along with Grace's founder Pastor Christopher Chappell's Sho Nuff Gospel imprint, hooked up with a major distribution deal with a label like JDI Records.  AVOG certainly benefits from JDI's remarkable reputation in independent gospel music with Dr. Beverly Crawford and Norman Hutchins on its roster.  So with all the hype from the Atlanta community and a nice distribution deal, could AVOG's debut recording make national noise?

The hype is definitely justified as Blessing Me works on all levels. Yes the distribution does not hurt.  Yet throughout Blessing Me, this choir demonstrates its well-merited talent equals other notable church choirs like The Potter's House & Brooklyn Tabernacle.  Between the crisp choir harmonies and a group of experienced soloists, AVOG easily navigates through R&B, rap, Latin and contemporary gospel arrangements.  Blessing Me is also to be commended for not relying on guest vocalists, a frequent occurrence on many mass choir recordings today.  Based on this debut effort, AVOG's solid reputation in Atlanta will hopefully be matched by justified excitement on a national platform.

Notable Songs:  All tracks

Vocals:  3.5 stars
Lyrics:  2.5 stars
Music:  3.5 stars
Production:  3.5 stars
SoulTracks Call:  Highly Recommended

By Peggy Oliver