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  & The Harvest Life Changers Church Mass Choir In His Presence The Woodbridge, Virginia church ambitiously set out to make its mark on the Gospel music charts and by all accounts, has done just that, ranking right up there in the top 40, according to Soundscan (hear audio).  Much of the project is sturdy, traditional material. "I Won’t Let Go", penned by Pastor Lyle Dukes, is an old fashioned, foot-stompin’ tune that fuses the 80's choir sound for a fun flashback. The instrumental love fest features keys and horns by PJ Morgan.In the same vein, Bishop Carver Poindexter leads on "Can I Get A Witness?" which literally asks how to get back to 'back in the day' —you know, when Deacons used to pray and Mothers of the church would tell you to stop chewing gum? The way church used to be. Also penned by Pastor Lyle is "Your Joy Is Lifted In Me", which is strongly reminiscent of classic Hawkins material. Jason Eaglin writes "He Promised" which features the boundless LaShun Pace, who simply cannot make a mistake. Lashonda Banks is featured vocally on the mid-tempo "Sacrifice of Praise" and George Perkins moves along with bass guitar groove on "You've Got to Move". This super-traditional, bluesy swing (that of course carries the message of the Gospel), urges us to heed to the Word and follow the leading of the Lord. It is the church choir 'march in' song —instantly familiar, instantly a favorite. The light samba of "God's Chosen People" is musically playful, but all becomes serious as Stephen Hurd ushers in worship with the simple "Wind of God". Hurd breaks everything down to the simplest form with accompaniment from the B3 and leaves no fluff. The anointing is clearly present, and it is simply worship. Guitar by Thomas Thompson and horn production by Eaglin lead out on the title cut "In His Presence", which was written and co-produced by Pastor Deborah, who also leads. Proving that good ole churchy choir stomps will never die, In His Presence is a throw-back with feet firmly planted in 2005. You just gotta love it.  There are song snippets available from the album. If you don't have RealAudio, be sure to obtain your free RealAudio player software first, by clicking on the blue RealAudio icon on the right. To download the song snippets, simply click on the highlighted text below, let stream on RealAudio, and enjoy.
Email This To A Friend independent — reviewed by Melanie Clark —
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