Blessed: The Best of Rachael Lampa

Album Review

It's rare to assemble a substantive greatest-hits collection at only 21 years old, but it's no surprise for anyone who has followed Rachael Lampa's shining career. Since releasing her debut album, Live for You, at 15, Lampa has proved her chops on two more studio albums and a remix collection. With each album, she took on more of a songwriter role and consequently lent more than just her pure, powerhouse voice to the sweeping ballads and bass-heavy dance grooves. The 17-track Blessed has no soft spots or filler, though it leans heavily on her early work and includes only two songs from her self-titled 2004 effort (eight tracks are taken from Live for You, in contrast). Her four number one hits are all represented — "Blessed," "Live for You," "Shaken," and "God Loves You." Also represented is the growing diversity of her genre base, from Latin and R&B to adult contemporary and funky blues-rock. Lampa deserves credit for aiming clearly at crossover success without compromising her vocal integrity or watering down her faith. Blessed in no way indicates the end of an era or the slowing down of the singer's recording career. It instead suggests that her thousands of fans have reason to expect many more great things from this inspiring, youthful artist.