God's Property (CD - 1997)

God's Property: Juanita Blair, Latrina Cooks, Tamryn Cornelius, Ramona Evans, Emma Hawthorne, Marlon Hawthorne, Tonya House, Shanika Leeks, Kelly Lewis, Barbara Mitchell, Tia Neal, LaTisha Pope (soprano vocals); Scott Allen, Adrian Brackens, Myron Butler, Rodrick Butler, Greg Brown, Damond Cobin, Victor Evans, James Henderson, Will Horn, Sedrick Jenkins, Vincent Johnson, Terry Miles, Burnis Neal, Darryn Ray, Floyd Spencer, Keith Thompson, Patron Thomas, Laron Vaughn, Tarlton Walker (tenor vocals); Alsha Cleavers, Uvonda Collins, Debette Draper, Phreddra Evans, Shupon Gray, Dondra Harris, Nicole Moss, Satanya Robinson, Shaniqua Robinson, Rachella Searight, Andrea Wallace, Bridgette Washington, Gwen Williams, Kressy Williams (alto vocals).

Additional personnel: Kirk Franklin (vocals, piano); Jason Davis, Lawrence Ferrell (saxophone); Jerriel Carter (trumpet); Jerome Harmon (organ); R.C. Williams, Shaun Martin (organ, keyboards); Bobby Sparks (keyboards); Robert "Spud" Searight (drums, keyboards).

Recorded at Dallas Sound Lab and Future Audio, Dallas, Texas.

All tracks have been digitally mastered using HDCD technology.

...FROM KIRK FRANKLIN'S NU NATION won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album By A Choir Or Chorus. "Stomp" was nominated for 1998 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal and Best R&B Song.

The success of God's Property is due to Kirk Franklin's skill as a talent scout and as a producer. Like Franklin's other records, God's Property is contemporary gospel music that isn't bland or processed; it still has soul and feeling. Not only is the music strong, but so are the songs, making God's Property one of the most refreshing contemporary gospel albums of the '90s. ~ Rodney Batdorf

Kirk Franklin is on a one-man mission to bring gospel music into the nineties. His own recordings have given the genre a fresh new face, and here he plays shepherd to a soulful group of singers who are bound to bring the Lord's word straight into the twenty-first century. God's Property is a modern gospel choir consisting of dozens of talented vocalists, and under Franklin's tutelage they have marked a bold new direction for gospel.

There's a little bit of everything here, from the hip-hop beat of "Stomp" to the James Brown-style funk groove of "It's Rainin'" and the smooth R&B sound of cuts like "Love" and "Sweet Spirit." Through all of these stylistic contortions, God's Property lays down strong, sweet harmonies and infuses every track with a heartfelt, spiritual message. minimize