One Nation Crew: Kirk Franklin (arranger, keyboards, bass, programming); Myron Butler, Shanika Leeks, Brandon Kizer, Sheila Ingram, Ashley Guilbert, Jana Bell, Candy West, Markita Knight, Nate L. Frank Lawson.
Additional personnel includes: Todd Parsnow (acoustic guitar); Ricky Lawson (piano); Bobby Sparks (Wurlitzer, Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards); Al West (keyboards, programming); Jamie Gamble (bass); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion); Chosen.
Producers: Kirk Franklin, Al West, Myron Butler, Bobby Sparks II.
Recorded at Beach Street Studios, Inglewood, California; Downtown Studios, Johannesburg, South Africa; Capitol Records, Hollywood, California.
The title of Kirk Franklin Presents: One Nation Crew doesn't exaggerate: Franklin wrote, produced, and arranged most of the album's material. However, the One Nation Crew prove themselves an extremely versatile performing outfit, crossing stylistic boundaries with aplomb: the record features not only contemporary gospel, but also touches on disparate styles like urban R&B, hip-hop, Latin-style dance, and straight-ahead pop. Overall, it's quite an accomplished debut. ~ Steve Huey
After spending the better part of the 1990s at the top of the R&B and gospel charts, Kirk Franklin burst into the millennium with his One Nation Crew project. The album features 10 multi-cultured, talented vocalists, chosen by Franklin himself.
The gospel supremo adapts influences from all over the world, particularly from South Africa, Latin America, and contemporary American R&B, to emphasize his compelling religious message, as evidenced by such highlights as "Moving On," "Breath Away" and the flavorful "Be Like Him," while the hard hitting, direct, and uncompromising "Hands Up" may surprise those unfamiliar with R&B and hip-hop's role in modern gospel music. The different cultures and sonic textures on offer here mesh together in winning fashion; One Nation Crew will take you on a powerful, polished musical and spiritual journey. minimize