Vicki Yohe - Reveal Your Glory (2009)

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    After initially getting a promotional boost from CeCe Winans' PureSprings Gospel imprint, Vicki Yohe possessed the golden opportunity to make her mark on the gospel charts. A huge mezzo-soprano soul singer, Yohe's instrument channels the pop luster of Celine Dion and the gutsy timbre of Martha Munizzi, Unfortunately, Yohe, with a voice worthy of the same spotlight of a Yolanda Adams, has previously been limited to safe studio projects, very little radio airplay and a few TBN appearances. The marginal career results has been the kind of overlooked, unfair madness sometimes associated with poor label marketing. Now with Shanachie behind her, one hoped Yohe would gain some necessary traction with a powered-up live recording on Reveal Your Glory. Recording live wouldn't have been such a bad idea, if the results weren't so granular and uneven. The opening tracks, bold and funky in rhythm, are loaded with lyrics and sections.

    After initially getting a promotional boost from CeCe Winans' PureSprings Gospel imprint, Vicki Yohe possessed the golden opportunity to make her mark on the gospel charts. A huge mezzo-soprano soul singer, Yohe's instrument channels the pop luster of Celine Dion and the gutsy timbre of Martha Munizzi, Unfortunately, Yohe, with a voice worthy of the same spotlight of a Yolanda Adams, has previously been limited to safe studio projects, very little radio airplay and a few TBN appearances. The marginal career results has been the kind of overlooked, unfair madness sometimes associated with poor label marketing. Now with Shanachie behind her, one hoped Yohe would gain some necessary traction with a powered-up live recording on Reveal Your Glory. Recording live wouldn't have been such a bad idea, if the results weren't so granular and uneven. The opening tracks, bold and funky in rhythm, are loaded with lyrics and sections. "One Moment," which features a guest appearance from Anthony Evans, feels like an illustrious Whitney Houston moment, but journeys into epical worship that weighs it down. Songs like the perky contemporary go-getter "God That Sees" and the "name-it-claim-it" brilliance of "Your Breakthrough" are the album's prize winners. But, as the project progresses all the worship tunes start to sound alike, making each song a bit lengthy and exhaustive (especially on the nine-minute title track). It would have been more creatively lucrative if Yohe were presented with timed cue cards for the endless ad-libs. The songs could have stayed a little longer in the refiner's fire too, blessing them with much needed brevity. I may not be alone in feeling fatigued by these extended workouts, as the muted audience is either subdued or mixed down too low for what should have been a massive worship experience. What was designed to have been the perfect status changer for Yohe into worship music dynamo turns into a drawn-out washout. Reveal Your Glory has the makings of a Martha Munizzi soundtrack, but only celebrates the one thing we love about Yohe: her voice. Yet, it takes more than a soaring voice to make an experience this big altogether interesting.

    Notable tracks: "God That Sees," "Soul Cries Out" and "Your Breakthrough"

    Vocals: 3 stars
    Lyrics: 1.5 stars
    Music: 2 stars
    Production: 2.5 stars
    SoulTracks Call: Mildly recommended

    By J. Matthew Cobb