Description
Tribute: The Songs of Andrae Crouch is a multi-artist tribute compilation featuring songs written by Andrae Crouch, released on Warner Alliance in 1996, a division of Warner Bros. Records.
What are the criteria for an artistically successful tribute record? First, it would need to feature a collection of artists familiar with the honoree’s body of work. Second, they would need to be artists who could at once present a distinctive interpretation of a song while still communicating the same passion and spirit of the original. In short, an artistically successful tribute record features artists giving performances that do justice to the honoree’s prior efforts. Under these criteria, ‘Tribute: The Songs of Andraé Crouch’ is at best half as good as it should be. In the 1970s, Andraé Crouch was a Christian music pioneer from the inside out.
While the likes of Randy Stonehill and Phil Keaggy were pouring gospel truths into their contemporary music, Crouch was grafting a contemporary sound to his gospel roots. The list of songs that defined the Jesus Movement arguably contains more Crouch songs than those of any other artist. He delivered his songs with a passion and sincerity that spoke for a generation.
‘Tribute’s shining moments introduce Crouch’s passion to a new generation. CeCe Winans’ soulful opener, «Take Me Back», creates high expectations for the rest of the record, but things quickly take a turn for the worse. Both the Michael W. Smith version of Crouch’s popular anthem «Jesus is the Answer» and Twila Paris’ «I Don’t Know Why Jesus Loved Me» are just, well, so white. Now, everybody relax. By white I do not mean the success of this record is determined by race, but is rather determined by soul – which, as Bryan Duncan’s «It’s Gonna Rain» proves, has nothing to do with the color of one’s skin.
This brings us to the key flaw in ‘Tribute’: there are some artists here who – while they may revere Crouch and his music – simply don’t belong on this record. In addition to Smith and Paris, Wayne Watson («Through It All»), Take 6 («This is Another Day») and First Call («Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus») also turn in less-than-stellar performances. Fact is, there are far more artists missing that should be on ‘Tribute’ than actually are. For instance, where is Crystal Lewis, Russ Taff, Michael Tait, Ashley Cleveland, Anointed or Kevin Smith? Or what about Bob Carlisle, Tramaine Hawkins or Chris Lizotte?
However, more strong performances are delivered by The Winans («It Won’t Be Long») and The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir («Soon and Very Soon»); and Clay Crosse’s rendition of «The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power» not only blows away everything else on the record, it even betters Crouch’s original.
By the way, Crouch himself closes his own tribute record (no, really) with his signature «My Tribute» backed by an “All-Star Choir” that includes everyone from Helen Baylor and Bobby Jones to Grover Levy and members of Guardian. But the self-indulgence of showing up on your own tribute record seems too surreal to critique.
When ‘Tribute’ succeeds, it is outstanding; when it doesn’t, it will make you glad to have CD player programming.
[Derek Wesley Selby, CCM, October 1996]
CD tracklist:
01. Cece Winans – Take Me Back – 4:26
02. Michael W. Smith – Jesus Is The Answer – 4:43
03. Twila Paris – I Don’t Know Why Jesus Loved Me – 4:11
04. Bryan Duncan – It’s Gonna Rain – 4:15
05. Wayne Watson – Through It All – 3:36
06. The Winans – It Won’t Be Long – 5:01
07. Clay Crosse – The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power – 3:49
08. Take 6 – This Is Another Day – 3:22
09. The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir – Soon And Very Soon – 4:29
10. First Call – Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus – 4:30
11. Andrae Crouch & All-Star Choir – My Tribute (To God Be The Glory) – 5:11
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Warner Alliance.
A full-page advertisement for the multi-artist compilation Tribute: The Songs of Andrae Crouch was featured in the November 1996 issue of CCM Magazine.
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