Throne Room (CD - 2003)

Personnel includes: CeCe Winans (vocals); Mike Ripol (acoustic guitar); Paul Jackson Jr., Carlos Pennell (guitar); Elijah "DeDe" Holt, Mark Nemer (drums); Melinda Doolittle, Dwaune Starling, LeAnne Palmore, Jerard Woods, Born Again Church Choir, Debbie Winans, Angie Winans (background vocals); Cedric Caldwell, Victor Caldwell.

Producers: Cedric Caldwell, Cedric Caldwell.

Legacy of an awesome gospel family, CeCe Winans has never been one to rest on her laurels. As half of a superstar duo with her brother BeBe, she lent her versatile voice to some of the more memorable R&B/gospel hybrids of the '80s and '90s. A solo artist since the mid-'90s, she has careened from traditional gospel to straight-secular contemporary R&B and more. She veers in yet another direction with THE THRONE ROOM, a breathy collection of lushly produced, accessible, unconditionally inspirational pop ballads with the lightest of R&B touches in a style equal parts Enya, Celine Dion, Karyn White, and Leonard Bernstein.

THE THRONE ROOM opens with a lush instrumental overture before Winans's vocals sneak in on the fetching "Jesus, You're Beautiful." "You're So Holy" lies somewhere between new age composition and holiday carol, and Cece's vocals slide gracefully with the subtlest of power on the Broadway-ish "By Thy Blood." Winans cuts the album into two parts with distinct titles, but other than a slightly more soulful tilt, not counting the dance-floor "Hallelujah Praise" the gentle, lulling sound remains constant throughout THE THRONE ROOM, continuing the soulful gospel vocalist's own legacy. minimize