It’s been an age since we've heard from Here II Praise, the contemporary choir that created a stir with their 1998 debut, Giving You Nothing But Praise (see album review).

Through trials and tribulations and refined by fire, the group is back with The X-perience: The Life and Trials of Here II Praise. It’s a sizzling self-produced sophomore project that features fine vocals and the awesome songwriting and musical arrangement gift of Robbie Lewis, and serves to set up susequent musical endeavors for the group.

Pay attention to the album title, for it describes exactly what the album offers. Hefty doses of personal testimony, both on disk and in the liner notes, Here II Praise tell it like it is, acknoweldging the error of their ways and giving honor to God in that confession (listen to the audio).

Pared down to seven members and now based on the West Coast, Here II Praise, lobs a gem of an album into the music industry. They’re able to create the softest of soulful ballads and then turn on a dime to ignite the most boisterous of musical maelstroms (listen to the audio).

The group’s distinictive vocal blend is the key to songs such as “What You Need”, where Lewis’ work on acoustic guitar lends a quietness to the soulful group sound of . The song

Interview with Robbie Lewis

Gospelflava.com speaks with Robbie Lewis. "Everything that I've been through in my life, I'm not afraid to tell it. I want this to help somebody else.... See the complete interview.

glides into the slightly snappier “Angel”, which with lyrics that refer to the Holy Spirit, is a meditative groove that fades to acappella.

Contrasting hotness emerges on “Nobody Can Do Me (Like You Do)”, which after a significant and dramatic introduction, morphs into a funky, urban praise with a sky-high head nod factor. Elements of hip and jazz are fused onto choir vocals.

The short “His Love For Me” ismulti-stacks of Lewis’ vocals and borrows a page from a Take 6 songbook (recorded by Joe ‘Flip’ Wilson). “Freestyle, Funnystyle” is a freely rendered hip hop cipher experiment. And "Xtra Stuff" is over thirteen minutes of pure, edifying, info-musical-entertainment that features a surprise guest (which must be heard, not described).

An album of confession, honesty and praise, and an all out musical masterwork, The Xperience embodies the wonderment of God’s restoration and his faithfulness. Robbie Lewis and Here II Praise have testimony, and it needs to be heard.


Three songs snips from Here II Praise's album are available as RealAudio downloads. 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 snips, simply click on the highlighted text below, let stream on RealAudio, and enjoy.

• "Angel"
  
  
• "Nobody Can Do Me (Like You Do Me)"
  
  
• "The Joy of My Soul"