Fall Like Rain (CD - 2008)

Personnel: David "Aisho" Rivilla García, John Ellis (guitar); Nashville String Machine (strings); Ryan Sharp (trumpet); Jeff Kidwell, Eric Leonard (trombone); Aaron Pearce (drums, programming); Marvin McQuitty, Todd Wilson (drums); Meka King (background vocals).

Recording information: The AMP Room, Nashville, TN; Tribe Studios; Upstairs Productions, Oklahoma City, OK; Wire Studios, Orlando FL.

Photographer: Eric Lopez.

Arranger: Aaron Pearce.

Sixteen albums into his recording career, popular Christian singer/songwriter Pastor Clint Brown has the focus and verve of a newcomer, pulling out all the stops on cavernous worship-rock productions like the title track and the show-stopping "I Will." He is also capable of funky, danceable gospel shouters; the driving "I Can't Get Enough of You" seems at first blush like the hormonal mating dance of any popular rocker of the day, until the lyrics make clear that the "You" in question is Jesus. This energetic album successfully meshes CCM with a more R&B-influenced contemporary gospel feel, for a sound that should appeal to a wide range of Christian listeners.

In the multiethnic spirit of the megachurch he pastors, Fall Like Rain appears to be a musical microcosm of the ministry of Clint Brown, a praise & worship veteran with more than a dozen albums and hundreds of published songs under his belt. In a way, the stylistic smorgasbord is reminiscent of How Great Is Our God, the cross-cultural debut by his protégé, worship leader LaRue Howard. But unlike Howard, who's mostly concerned with the congregational part of the church service, Brown offers an eclectic -- some would say scattershot -- Sunday morning spectacular, an all-things-to-all-people feast replete with schmaltzy special music selections, '80s-styled power ballads, and campiness that would even make Michael Bolton blush. Thankfully, that's mostly the first half of the album, after which Brown returns to his roots, namely, urban-friendly gospel selections. Some of these are actually quite irresistible, like the Earth, Wind & Fire-channeling "I'm Forgiven" (featuring Russ Taff) and "Everyday Is a Good Day," a singable corporate number with a guest spot from Howard. While this soulfulness doesn't quite cancel out the kitschy excesses elsewhere, Brown at least keeps a straight face through it all -- he doesn't for a moment come across as trying to cast a wide net in order to maximize profits. Those who have seen him living large on TBN would probably disagree, but Fall Like Rain honestly sounds like it's coming from the heart: it's a gospel-CCM hodgepodge like no other in either genre. ~ Andree Farias minimize