Avery Stafford ‘s music always makes room for his gospel and his R&B influences. That was the case on his ironically named Undignified, and it is also the case for Stafford’s latest project, End of Five. I called Undignified ironically named because Stafford has the kind of mature voice that adds a level of class and dignity to whatever he sings.
Stafford aims for and reaches a nice equilibrium between gospel and secular on Undignified. Stafford is an artist who spent much time working as a gospel recording artist while also serving as a praise and worship leader at various churches on the West coast. That experience gave Stafford insight into the musical styles that lend themselves to high-energy praise music. He also counts secular artists such as Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder as musical influences.
It could be said that much of the output on End of Five is more inspirational and spiritual that overtly religious. In that way, End of Five has the feel of the BeBe And CeCe Winans songbook during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Songs such as “Bounce,” with its funky bass line and inspirational rap, is one of several good candidates for airplay on R&B radio. “Bounce” is a song that attests to the power of music to lift the spirit. The lyrics make it clear that Stafford is talking about gospel’s music’s power to inspire even though he never mentions the name Christ (though he does use the name Holy One). Okay, this may be a problem for some people, but “Bounce” still works as a praise and worship song.
The ballad “Heartbeat In the Night” is a long song to a significant other. However, those looking for a steady hand to brace them during those dark times will gain comfort from the fact that the heartbeat that Stafford refers to belongs to God.
End of Five finds Avery Stafford making an effort to take his message of faith and inspiration to a more secular audience. Some will ask at what price. At a surface level it appears that Stafford waters down his message. However, if listeners dig beneath the message and really get into the lyrics, it becomes clear that this artist never strays from the Gospel. Tunes such as “If You Had to Love You” encourage listeners to love the people of the world while also rejecting worldly values. In the end, Avery Stafford reaches a nice balance in his message, and listeners will be entertained by the quality of the music and inspired by the good news embedded in the lyrics. Recommended.
By Howard Dukes
