Newcomer Nashon Fondren is Praise and Worship Leader at the well-known Born Again Church in Nashville, Tennessee. On places his experience on disk with How Much You Love Me, his debut recording.

Guitar maestro Dana Reed (CeCe Winans, Angela & Veronica, Virtue) sits in the producer’s chair, and wisely allows Fondren’s tenor voice to be the focus all through the project, for it’s his ability to deliver from the heart that makes this project sparkle.

The majority of the songs are penned by Fondren. Backing support from steady session veterans Jerard Woods, Jevan Woods, Ann McCrary, Angela Primm, Gayle West and others strengthen the sound, and steady instrumentals from a seasoned band polish the whole.

The album opens with “Zion’s Praise”, a high energy cut coated with plenty of chunky island percussion, whistles, guitars and peppered call and response chorus vocals.

From there, a diversity of styles marks the project. It’s funky with “Let Me Tell You About Jesus Christ” and then contrastingly mellow on the honey-chorused tender vertical praise of “Jesus I Love You The More”.

Perhaps the album highlight is the organ-anchored duet with Tawaska Harrison, “I’m Blessed”, that has traditional edges as the duo trade testimonies.

Fondren wraps his golden pipes around “He Forgives and He Forgets”, a ballad with awesome lyrics telling of God’s unending grace and mercy. A meditative instrumental of the same song ends the album, featuring Virgil Stafford’s glorious piano stylings, embedded into layers of strings.

Nashon Fondren has burst onto the scene with a great sound and a memorable set of praise material. How Much You Love Me is worthy.