Praise + Worship Experience

Personnel: Marvin Winans (piano); Joseph Woolfolk (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Augustine Alvarez (acoustic guitar); Rodney East (piano, keyboards); Roger Ryan (piano); Richard Gibbs Jr. (organ); Percy Bady (keyboards); Dana Davis (drums); Darryl Tibbs (percussion).
Liner Note Author: Marvin Winans.
Recording information: Perfecting Church, Detroit, MI.
If one didn't know Marvin Winans any better, it'd be easy to write off The Praise + Worship Experience as a scheme to capitalize on his ties to the departed Whitney Houston -- he delivered the sermon at the singer's funeral in a televised eulogy that was watched by millions. But Winans is a music veteran, a founding member of the Winans, and a longtime pastor who has been recording church music for years, even before Houston made it big. That said, The Praise + Worship Experience finds Winans doing what comes most naturally to him -- leading songs of praise and adoration on his home turf, Detroit's Perfecting Church, the congregation he planted more than two decades ago. Joining him is a parade of some of gospel's greatest -- Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Sapp, Bishop Paul S. Morton, and Don Moen are but a few of the guests -- but clearly the songs are what matter here, an assortment of choral pieces and worshipful sonatas that are sure to please the faithful. No new ground is broken here -- the disc is a far cry from 2007's soul showpiece Alone But Not Alone -- but Winans is not likely to mind: so long as the church keeps on singing, it's all right with him. ~ Andree Farias