Crystal Clear

Description

Crystal Clear is the fourth major label album by the American singer Jaci Velasquez, released on Word Entertainment in September 2000. Also manufactured and distributed by Epic, a division of Sony Music. The album was produced by Mark Heimermann for Fun Attic Productions and Rudy Pérez for Bullseye Productions.

When, in 1996, Heavenly Place burst onto the scene the 16 year old was toted as the new Amy, while CCM fans everywhere instantly warmed to a voice of such spine tingling, bitter-sweet purity. Then, at 19, Jaci dipped into her Latin roots and made the Spanish language Liegar A Ti and its Latin scene success established her with Spanish speaking audiences. Now, at 20, Jaci seeks to marry her two support bases as well as showing that her new found maturity has spilled over to her music. She succeeds magnificently and with all radio formats (pop, Latin, easy listening) covered on this breathtakingly classy album she could well soar into the stratosphere in terms of CD sales. One of the musical foundation stones of this set is the south-of-the-border rhythms and George Cocchini’s spine tingling Spanish guitar interjections. The kick off track, «Escuchame» (which, if you don’t do Spanish, means «Listen To Me») is a delightful hot pepper romp with a pumping horn section which deliciously lays on the salsa sauce behind a lyric which is a sobering warning to a younger woman to slow down and trust in God. Elsewhere, there are some great ballads featured on Crystal Clear and most of the songwriting is very fine with Chris Eaton, Brent Bourgeois and Plumb‘s Tiffany Arbuckle all weighing in with classy material. If the songwriting is state-of-the-art, the production is top dollar too. Mark Heimermann (dc Talk, Michael W Smith) and Rudy Perez (Christina Aguilera, Luis Miguel) behind the recording desk are Jaci working on her vocals with producers Brown Bannister and Brent Bourgeois. There is an infectious dance-tinged «You Don’t Miss A Thing» and even the easy listening ballad closer «Just A Prayer Away» works. The one track which stops this getting the coveted CR 10 squares is «Every Time I Fall», a catchy enough radio ditty, but with the melody of the verses clearly copped from the chorus of Jennifer Lopez hit «If You Had My Love» (Nashville must stop doing this kind of thing). But immediately after that mistake is a stone classic, «You’re Not There», which is a minor key, mid tempo floater Jaci wrote with Mark Heimermann and is a song which beautifully brings out the truth that God isn’t some remote being, wandering in his great unknown, but a persona! God intimately involved in the human experience. What transports it to classic status is a mind boggling arrangement while strings eerily swirl and guitars that recall the Cure (I lie to you not). As creative as pop gets. [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, December 2000]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/crystal-clear/1165994345)

CD tracklist:

01. Escuchame (Listen To Me)
02. Crystal Clear
03. Every Time I Fall
04. You’re Not There
05. Adore
06. He’s My Saviour
07. You Don’t Miss A Thing
08. Imagine Me Without You
09. Come As You Are
10. Center Of Your Love
11. Just A Prayer Away

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Word Entertainment.