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.”  

The instantly-recognizable contributors easily fall in-step with Jones’ divinely-inspired direction: Howard Hewett’s earnest and enthusiastic tenor is the perfect fit for the uplifting ‘Christ is it’ message in the charged-up “Searched All Over” (you can easily imagine swaying robes and waving arms as you listen), and the breezier end of Ann Nesby’s hurricane-force vocal range is still affecting in the gentle give-and-take verses with Jones during “Praise The Lord.” And if you have even a passing familiarity with Faith Evans’ ‘Brick City’ NJ choir beginnings, there’s no question that her soprano sweetens up the title track while whetting appetites for the full gospel CD that she’s promised fans later on down the line. 
 
Rejoice With Me gets the job done no matter where one is in their faith or how they like their salvation served: youthfully (“Nothing Without You,” feat. Renee Spearman and Paul Jackson Jr.), sermon-filled (“Faithful Is He”) and even bursting with down-home grits-n-gravy Southern goodness that recalls Dr. Jones’ Tennessee roots (Shawn McLemore, “Let’s Praise The Lord”). For those who want to kick off their spring with a renewed commitment to their beliefs or for others who want to find them again, Bobby Jones’ invitation is what the heart needs and what the spirit ordered.  Highly Recommended.
 
By Melody Charles

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