Search - Vanessa Bell Armstrong :: Something on the Inside

Thomas Whitfield produced half of this album...

Peace Brotha | Ohio, United States | 07/17/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"...and it shows! As usual, Vanessa sings the stew out of every song, showing off her range and vocal textures on this contemporary gospel collection. The material is great throughout the album, although the last four cuts -- produced by the late Maestro -- are the absolute best, and destined to become classics. "Calvary" alone is worth the price of this CD: it is hauntingly powerful and moving, with an unearthly performance by Ms. Armstrong and the backup singers.Don't get me wrong! The first four cuts are strong also. John P. Kee "shows up" on "Something On The Inside," and Vanessa sounds a lot like Aretha on some lines. "Everlasting Love" is a great skate song, and "Don't You Give Up" and "Ounce of Your Love" are both good examples of R&B gospel. The only thing that keeps this from being a 5 star album is the fact that the sound quality of the Whitfield produced tracks is not quite as good as the rest of the album for some reason (oddly, since those are the best songs!). But if you're a Vanessa fan, you should buy this album. If you're not a fan, you should still buy it, because you will be after just one listen."