Description
Jesus Loves Ya is the fifth album by the American R&B/soul singer and songwriter Jon Gibson, released on Frontline Records in 1990, distributed by FMG Distribution. The album was recorded and mixed by Gene Eugene of Adam Again at The Mixing Lab in Garden Grove, California; with Jon Gibson producing and arranging (drum, piano, synth and string arrangements). Automation Engineer and assistant on the mix by Doug Beiden. All songs written by Jon Gibson.
If consistency within diversity is a hallmark of an admirable talent, Jon Gibson is now ready to hit a motherlode of appreciation. On ‘Jesus Love Ya’, Gibson continues to spice his slightly funky soul-pop base with enough surprise ingredients for his musical broth to never get stale.
A flavored flavor of late for many secular urban acts is a rap break placed within a straight R&B tune. Gibson leads of with two of them, first with assistance of newcomer M.C. Peace on the freestyle beat of «Enough’s Enough». Then he goes it solo in the calmer «Love Comes Down». Later in the album he tries for a Milli Vanilli tactic of rapped verses ‘n’ sung chorus in the foreboding «In Too Deep», and thankfully he comes across with more depth than those dreadlocked doofuses.
But when Gibson gets mellower, he can still be down with it. «From Heaven» finds him going in for light jazz phrasing a la Anita Baker or Howard Hewitt. On another jazz tag toward the end of the shuffling «Jesus Loves Ya» he goes in for some convincing scat singing.
Should Gibson ever want to begin writing for black gospel choirs, he has already made a good start with «Forever Now», which brought a James Cleveland or Keith Pringle arrangement to mind upon my first listen. In a nearly folk, more somber vein is «Everlasting».
Not everything shines quite so brightly though. «Preacher Man» is salsa-via-“Tequila” that sounds too preoccupied with its own cuteness than the song’s characters. By the end, however, he’s back on the right track with «Watching All My Days Go By», a peaceful longing for death and eternity sounding like late-period Beatles if they had wanted to do a southern soul ballad.
Gibson has become a deft blender of musical ingredients, and you ought to sample his latest concoctions on ‘Jesus Lovs Ya’. [Jamie Lee Rake, CCM, December 1990]
Mr Gibson is of course gospel’s leading blue-eyed soul gospeller and his voice, at times uncannily close to Stevie Wonder (a friend who guested on his last album) has been heard to brilliant effect on slick synth soul and dance (‘Change Of Heart‘) and a more introspective, funk groove (‘Body And Soul‘). On the opening couple of tracks here he seems to be changing musical direction again with some tough heavy guitar samples bringing a tough rock edge to the soulful singing and rap (by MC Peace). But then it settles down to a more mellow gospel funk sound similar to ‘Body And Soul’. What is heartening is Jon’s lyrics have become much more gospel-explicit since his first Frontline album (which sounded like a secular album which found its way onto a gospel label). Standouts on ‘Jesus Loves Ya’ are «Call On My Love» with some lovely Benson-style jazz guitar from Rick Zunigar; the title track which starts with a tiny tot chortling “Jesus loves me this I know ’cause the Bible tells me so” before smacking into a turbulent mid-tempo groove; the rock-rapper «Enough Is Enough»; and the lovely ballad «From Heaven». But wherever you look and listen there is fine, intelligent music speaking faith and hope for all with ears to hear. [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, June 1991]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/jesus-loves-ya/387079820)
CD tracklist:
01. Enough Is Enough – 4:32
02. Love Come Down – 5:45
03. Jesus Loves Ya, Intro. – 0:10
04. Jesus Loves Ya – 6:26
05. From Heaven – 5:34
06. Call On My Love – 4:59
07. Everlasting – 6:08
08. Straight On – 3:09
09. Preacher Man – 3:26
10. In Too Deep – 4:25
11. Forever Now – 4:32
12. His Love Is Strong – 5:08
13. Watching All My Days Go By – 6:51
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette, 12-inch vinyl LP, and CD by Frontline Records.
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