Benita Washington: Renaissance

Label: ReddAppleseed Entertainment
Sound/Style: Contemporary Gospel

By Steve Morley

UMC.org—In the minds of many Christians, the whole idea of becoming a gospel music star is a thorny proposition, seemingly aligned with the celebrity mentality typified by the now-infamous reality show American Idol. In fact, the televised Gospel Dream competition that elevated the career of singer Benita Washington makes no bones about being a non-secular alternative to American Idol. But while Idol winners ascend to stardom’s upper reaches, Washington is focusing her efforts where the rewards are predominantly of the heavenly variety. Renaissance, her second album since taking home first prize in the 2003 Gospel Dream finals, finds the rising singer taking an increasingly minister-like role.

The album’s basic tracks were cut in front of a live audience in Nashville, Tennessee, and the performance environment maximizes Washington’s power as an inspirational artist. She entertains, but more than anything she exhorts and encourages her audience, balancing the roles of praise leader, performer and preacher. Washington is more subdued with her vocal gifts than many of her peers, resulting in a natural and conversational style well-suited to her delivery of Scripture. Her songs are often more message-driven than they are melody-driven, allowing Washington to freely improvise her phrasing of biblical material. Washington maneuvers freely around her rock-solid backup singers, who serve her like a strong defensive line behind a fleet-footed quarterback. When she does let off a spurt of vocal steam, it often comes in emotional peaks or spontaneous eruptions where spirit and skill work in tandem.

The church-like experience of the album’s first half is mostly meditative, though punctuations of praise and proclamation keep the energy level high. Washington masterfully builds momentum during this nine-song segment, but some of it is stalled by fade-outs and edits inserted between songs. The sequencing of tracks detracts from the live feel of the recording, which also includes numbers heavily doctored in the studio. The second half—almost an album in itself—is a stylistic patchwork that disturbs the overall continuity of the disc with experiments including edgy modern gospel.

Even after netting top honors in the world’s first Gospel Dream competition, Benita Washington apparently still has a lot she wants to prove. Some might say Renaissance is overambitious at times, but for those who can’t get enough contemporary gospel, this is an inspirational collection that is pressed down and overflowing.

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