Description
Bridges, sub-titled Songs of Unity and Purpose, is a multi-artist collaborative project released on Benson Records in 1999, distributed by Provident Music Distribution. The album was produced by Fred Hammond, Mark Heimermann, John P. Kee, and Paul Wright III.
It’s been said that the greatest scandal of American Christianity takes place at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday as Christians segregate themselves by race, belief and practice to worship God. Bridges, subtitled “Songs of Unity and Purpose,” takes on this brokenness that threatens to undo the message and call at the heart of the church, to be united.
Musically, Bridges blends R&B and pop, exhibiting appropriate amounts of gospel and jazzy soul. One could imagine a more daring record musically, allowing hip-hop, rock, reggae and world-beat influences into the mix, but this is not that record. Instead, the project holds its focus on the issue at the heart of the church’s struggle with race, employing many of the best voices in Christian pop and gospel music.
Bridges names the divide without succumbing to defeatist thinking. Our segregation has left us “in deserts of pain,” sing 4HIM and The Canton Spirituals, before the song’s word of promise, «It’s Gonna Rain». «Colors of the Heart» finds common ground for Oleta Adams and Jaci Velasquez. It’s the one song which employs some lyrics in Spanish and a light Latin riff on guitar.
Other highlights, among a very strong selection of songs, include: «Like Minded, Like Hearted» featuring Out of Eden and NewSong; «Caravan of Love» featuring Bob Carlisle, Marvin Sapp and Kirk Whalum; «Raven and the Dove» featuring Anointed and Russ Taff; and «I’m Not Afraid to Touch Your Hand» featuring John P. Kee and Lori Wilshire. Gary Chapman, the Colorado Mass Choir, Chris Willis, Fred Hammond, Helen Baylor and others also flesh out the album.
Bridges – produced by Hammond, Mark Heimermann, Kee and Paul Wright Ill – opens the door for dialogue on an issue that is painful and ongoing in the life of our communities. The healing begins within, and this collection of songs contains the strong medicine we all need. [Brian Quincy Newcomb, CCM, August 1999]
An amalgam of styles and textures from the Gospel Belt of the Southern States. Predominantly a black-sounding collection, but with white faces and voices too. The 11 tracks cover everything from soft rock, through traditional gospel to pop and ballad with a strong emphasis on a unity theme. Hence, «Like Minded, Like Hearted» sets the mood, ending up 10 tracks later with «There’s A Place For Us». Musicianship and production is generally excellent, the various combinations reading like a who’s who of USA Christian music. The whole thing has been put together by Jeff Moseley and Paul Wright, each track featuring different artists, amongst whom are The Canton Spirituals, Oleta Adams, Gary Chapman, Daryl Coley/Sandi Patty (on «If I Were You»), Clay Crosse and Natalie Grant, to name about a quarter of them. A feast of music, then, but with no scriptural platform, which is a shame because there is a commanded blessing of God where brothers live in unity. It would have been the perfect masthead for this collection rather than quotes from St Francis, as good as they are, compounded further by Paul Wright’s humanist screed on the subject. In Christ all things are possible, the Bible tells us, not desire, prayer and belief. 7 squares for the music, two for the packaging.[Alan Smith, Cross Rhythms, December 1999]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/bridges-songs-of-unity-and-purpose/450809902)
CD tracklist:
01. Out of Eden and Newsong – Like Minded, Like Hearted
02. 4HIM and The Canton Spirituals – It’s Gonna Rain
03. Gary Chapman, Colorado Mass Choir and Chris Willis – With A Little Love
04. Jaci Velasquez and Oleta Adams – Colors Of The Heart
05. Bob Carlisle, Marvin Sapp and Kirk Whalum – Caravan Of Love
06. Sandi Patty and Daryl Coley – If I Were You
07. Clay Crosse and Virtue – Together
08. Anointed and Russ Taff – Raven And The Dove
09. John P. Kee and Lori Wilshire – I’m Not Afraid To Touch Your Hand
10. Helen Baylor, Kathy Troccoli and Hezekiah Walker – We Are All The Same
11. Fred Hammond and Natalie Grant – There’s A Place For Us
A full-page advertisement for Benson Records’ multi-artist album project Bridges: Songs of Unity and Purpose was featured in the August 1999 issue of CCM Magazine.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.