Possessing a sultry style, yet delivering sanctified lyrics brimming with heart, humility and holiness, contemporary gospel group Trin-i-tee 5:7 has enjoyed continuous success for over a decade, lauded for utilizing modern musical backdrops to propel timeless messages of agape and romantic love. As some of their secular R&B peers faded out of the spotlight and out of rotation, the ladies of Trin-i-Tee 5:7 watched their success blossom with each release, earning a pair of Dove Awards and a million-selling comeback of a CD (2008’s T57) that made their professional changes (in labels, members and management) well worth the effort.
However, like all of us, Trin-i-tee 5:7 experienced growing pains that have led to yet another kind of ‘first’: releasing their fifth CD without a third member accompanying them on the cover or in the studio. Whether this will necessitate a name change down the road remains to be seen, but for fans that have followed the ladies since jump, one listen to Angel and Chanelle will confirm what matters the most—- Adrian Anderson’s departure doesn’t diminish the quality of the content or the group’s message.
Whether listeners cop the standard (twelve tracks) or the deluxe version (which offers an additional five) of the disc, Angel Taylor (the soprano with the gold-tipped locks) and Chanell Hayes (the alto with the ebony curls) pick up where their platinum-selling T57 left off, guided by some of today’s most respected producers (P.J. Morton, Surefire Music Group, Fred “Uncle Freddie” Jerkins III, etc.) as they trade-off the leads or harmonize side-by-side about strength, deliverance, pain and peace. Angel takes the lead in the soothing interpretation of “Psalm 139” and on the sugary-sweet “Some Kind of Amazing,” which describes the perfect and encompassing love of God, while both of them appear on the funk-driven “Bring Your Praise,” bluntly witnessing to those in a storm to rely on His word and give Him the glory no matter what: “Everything about you, looks like you’re defeated, came here with a Bible, but I can tell you didn’t read it/And you’re full of complaints, I can think of ten reasons, that you should give Him Praise: here’s a good one, you’re still breathing.” “New Day” brims with the optimism of another chance, and the playful “I Don’t Need a Reason” enumerates why He’s so worthy and deserves to be first in their lives and hearts.
Never content with just using the conventional methods, the ladies go against type on some of the CD’s most galvanizing tracks, like “The Cross,” a full-fledged rock-out that assures those with broken spirits to hold out for the ultimate reward and redemption: “Dark days, stormy nights, no love, no hope in sight/Don’t cry for He’s coming, don’t die without knowing….the cross.” A plea to the Creator for healing after love’s rejection takes shape in a trip-hop-inspired and danceable ditty, “Heaven Hear My Heart,” and another up tempo offers freedom in giving burdens over the Lord in the cool and catchy “Let It Go.”
Vulnerability (“I Need You Now”), perseverance (“I’m Still Holdin’ On”), exaltations (“Blessing Me”), and assurance that God is all-knowing and ever-present in our lives (“I Am Not Alone”); once again, the ladies of Trin-i-Tee 5:7 cover the Christian bases and demonstrate that singing for the Lord doesn’t have to be an exercise in the drab and tedious. Except for the overused and unnecessary inclusion of Auto-Tuning (why waste the gimmick on folks who can genuinely sing?!?), Trin-i-tee 5:7’s latest guarantees that as long as Angel and Chanelle praise His name, there will be an audience listening, dancing, and believing right along with them. Highly Recommended.
By Melody Charles