One Nation Under Praise

Album Review

As head of the FaithWorld multimedia complex in Orlando, Clint Brown is a force in the Christian mega-church community. But he's also a potent singer, though closer in style to adult contemporary rock than pure gospel. Throughout One Nation Under Praise, his husky, impassioned baritone inescapably echoes the sound of Michael McDonald, with Brown in no way suffering from the comparison. Whether singing in an intimate, almost jazzy acoustic setting, as in "It Was You," or adapting to a clipped funk groove, as on the title cut, his phrasing embraces the adult contemporary aesthetic with its emphasis on melody adorned by churchy filigree. In more traditional settings, such as "Lord I Praise You," the FaithWorld 175-voice choir tends to dwarf him; hampered by a somewhat narrow range, Brown limits himself to interjections and fragmented responses to their billowing harmonies. But since these tracks, unlike the rest of the album, were recorded live, it becomes clear that this doesn't matter: when performing before his congregation, Brown is a spiritual cheerleader/MC, pushing guest vocalists or the spectators themselves past their expressive limits. But when working the mic more intimately, as on the lovely finale "Keep Me in Your Reach," he finds his center and, as a singer of spirit, stands second to none. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk, Rovi