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Tommye Young-West
Believe

While Tommye Young-West can’t qualify as a new artist (her 1993 project Just Call Me Tommye prevents that), you won’t be blamed by placing her in that category with this project. It’s fresh, it’s jumpin’ and it’s wildly smokin’.

Believe CDJoining her on the project are multiple guests that will bring more than flicker of recognition to serious Gospel fans. This includes both God’s Property and 1NC members on backing vocals throughout.

"All N All" opens the Serious Records project with its Gospel rhythms groove and energetic supporting vocals, as Young-West’s distinctively patterned, southern-nuanced and thoroughly pleasing soprano take over. As you may anticipate from the title, the song says that Jesus is our everything, our all in all.

The vocal vibe and sincerely creative worship tone established here continues all the way to album's end at track twelve.

GP founder Linda Searight’s composition "My Mind Is Made Up" impacts with its large big band sound and expansive Broadway overtones. Young-West's adaptable vocal style allows her to make this her own.

Robert 'Sput' Searight’s "Greater Is He" is another star cut, with some neatly spliced rhythmic backing vocals, freely delivered ad libs and hand claps characterizing the inventive composition.

On “No Greater Love”, Young-West’s daughter and 1NC member Candy West takes lead. Dreamy acoustic guitar from David Cruz introduces the song, and continues while the flowing chorus and tight harmonies accompany West who soon spritzes it into praise territory. This is one of three songs on the disc that she either wrote or co-wrote under the name of C. DIVA! West.

Tommye Young-West with daughters Candy and Chelsea WestThe other two ("You Are Welcome" and the title track) demonstrate that she has been entrusted with talent on the songwriting tip in addition to her vocal gift.

Sonically, the live, unplugged feel that producer Clydeeface Broadus imparts to the project (which was nevertheless recorded in Dallas studios) consistently hits the mark, and is suitable to the often jazzy tone of the material. That and the originality of the songwriting is what makes this project register high on the fresh scale.

Tommye Young-West continues to solidify Texas as a Gospel hotbed with this sparkling gem.


Producer: Clydeeface Broadus, Robert 'Sput' Searight, C. DIVA! West
album release date: December 2000
Serious Records


— reviewed by Stan North



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