Rating:
Genre:
Gospel
Release Date: 06/22/2004
The title and cover art of this album -- both more than a little similar to that of 2004's blockbuster film
The Passion of the Christ -- prove that there's room for bandwagon-jumping in
gospel just as there is in less spiritual forms of
pop music. That said,
The Passion of Jesus is yet another of
Shirley Caesar's effortless-sounding updates of traditional
gospel sounds. Though the album remains rooted in the
black gospel tradition, synthesizers, drum machines, and other of-the-moment touches are subtly mixed into the arrangements, so that songs like
"He's Got a Love That Will Last Forever" sound almost like
quiet storm-format
R&B love songs, and the funky,
hip-hop-influenced
"Heavenly Father" swings with an updated version of the '70s
soul grooves that
Al Green and
Willie Mitchell perfected. None of it sounds like a cynical crossover attempt, however, because the focus of the songs is always on
Caesar's phenomenal voice and her impassioned delivery of the testifying lyrics. Despite the cash-in suggested by the title and cover,
The Passion of Jesus sounds 100 percent sincere.
~Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
;)
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