Love Is Live!

LFT Church Choir includes: Denise Heyward, Craig Wiggins, Kirvy Brown (vocals); Keith Barrett (guitar); Serita Thompson (trumpet); Gregory Kelly (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, strings); Joeworn Martin (piano, Clavinet, organ); James Spears (piano); Robert "Fat Rob" Bennix (string synthesizer); Dwayne Gott (bass); Jeff Lesley (drums); LFT Church Choir, P.W. Kids In Praise (background vocals).
Recorded at The New York Marriott, Brooklyn, New York.
LOVE IS LIVE won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Gospel Choir Or Chorus Album.
If this wild, energetic Sunday morning tour de force from Brooklyn's Love Fellowship Tabernacle doesn't get you feeling spiritual (or at least a bit giddy), not much will. The arrangements of these mostly upbeat handclappers are unique in the way they balance the men's and women's choirs for certain emotional emphases, but there are also standout solo performances by Denise Heyward ("You Have Been Right There") and Kirvy Brown ("Lord Do It"). These songs all feature familiar upbeat themes about grace and redemption, but the power of these voices brings fresh emotion, which makes every word a unique revelation. Most gospel choir albums go from vocal to vocal, but any regular churchgoer knows sometimes the most musical fun comes from the band just riffing (organ in the crazy lead, of course). The title "Praise Break" sounds kind of quiet, but it's a wild jam that blends rock and R&B/gospel in a swirling circus of sounds. A lot of gospel choir recordings sound the same, but this one stands out brilliantly from the pack with an energy that just doesn't let up. ~ Jonathan Widran