I liked the bold concept immediately: inject some urban sizzle to popular contemporary praise songs. And bring in the biggest guns to do it: the mighty PAJAM trio.
You’d think that with the PAJAM production team at the helm, “Sing to the Lord” would be a no-brainer, impossible to miss. After all, Paul “pda” Allen, Walter Kearney and J Moss have been successful behind Destiny’s Child, Backstreet Boys, Boys II Men, N’Sync, and many other iconic performers. For “Sing to the Lord,” these experts put together a studio ensemble that included Leya Derrickson, Monique Lee, Torrence Greene, Jorel Quinn, and Evin Martin of PAJAM vocal group 21:03, and Lowell Pye of Men of Standard. It is PAJAM’s first outing with Integrity, and it’s an interesting mix of both flavors; in fact, I’d be hard-pressed to say which comes across the strongest.
I think it’s rather telling that the album’s strongest tracks are the two originals that bookend the project. Paul Allen’s “Father” opens beautifully, the bouncy groove immediately burning its way into both your soul and your feet, as well as raising your expectations high. Paul Baloche’s “Praise Adonai” is given classic funk instrumentation and an upbeat swing feel which works well. Darrell Evans’ “Trading My Sorrows” is barely recognizable, which would have been fine if the new rendition was an improvement, but I have to say I missed Evans’ grittier approach to this earthy song.
The harmonies on the next few tracks are warm and tight, but I thought the energy levels dragged a bit, and longed for the electric guitars and organs to cut loose. But that’s exactly what happened on “Open the Eyes of My Heart,” a greatly over-used song in the Christian community. The PAJAM crew restored the song’s original zest, and the soulful vocals are icing on the cake. “My Redeemer Lives” starts off strong, fresh and fervent, but the muscular beats and sweet vocals ultimately lack direction, and even the tight choir behind “Rescue” fail to take this usually powerful ballad where it longs to go. “Sing to the Lord” did keep me on my toes, I confess, delighting me at times with its zest and originality, at other points disappointing me with its lack of direction. Zigging when I saw a zag ahead; some surprises pleasant, others not so much.
Things pick up a bit on the way home, when the honeyed vocals of “Sing” move into a free form jam, and don’t miss the sweetest of funk guitars beneath “All About You.” Stirring closer “There All the Time” brings back that slow R&B burn, and the credits don’t indicate whose throaty vocals those are, but she tears it up nicely, encouraging to the last sweet moment. In the final analysis, I think we have to give PAJAM and Integrity props for a fabulous concept, even if its execution is a bit of a mixed bag. I hope they go at it again soon.
