Grace

Personnel: Sheena Evans, Rachel James, Ashley Herring, Kennya Miller, Lateesha Lockley, Miah White, Lesley Neely, Saiah Freeman Iv (vocals); Rick Watford (guitar, acoustic guitar); Trent Phillips, Vaughan Phoenix (piano, keyboards, drum programming); James Barrett (drums); Christopher House (drum programming).
Audio Mixer: John Jaszcz.
Recording information: Northview Christian Church, Montgomery, AL.
Photographer: Derek Blanks.
Introduced -- and you don't often hear enthusiasm bursting with so much pride -- by her Pastor father on the opening "Get Up," Tasha Cobbs aims to re-create the live worship experience on her major-label debut, Grace. Besides the elegant title track, which is a stately, studio-pristine ballad and highlight, the album succeeds, coming on strong and huge like a Hillsong-associated release, while keeping both the R&B and traditional influences high, as if this was the season finale of Sunday Best. Another key track has to be "Break Every Chain," featuring guest vocalist Timiney Figueroa from Hezekiah Walker's Love Fellowship Crusade Choir, but it's easy to argue that Grace is best taken in as a whole, allowing Cobbs' goal of worship-experience-for-shut-ins or worship-experience-for-anytime-you-need-it to be accomplished, maybe even exceeded. ~ David Jeffries