Dream (CD - 2005)

Personnel: BeBe Winans (vocals, background vocals); BeBe Winans; Pat Coils, Jason Webb , Pat Colis (keyboards); Craig Nelson (bass guitar); Paul Leim (drums); Jovaun Woods, Darwin Hobbs, Duane Starling, Denotra Sneed, Jerard Woods, Joey Kibble, Tiffany Palmer, Karima Kibble, LeAnne Palmore (background vocals); Tom Hemby (guitar, keyboards, bass synthesizer, drums); Steve Brewster (drums, percussion).

Audio Mixers: Gregg Jampol; Ronnie Brookshire.

Recording information: Puxico Studios, Nashville, TN; Sound Stage Recording Studios, Nashville, TN.

Photographer: Darien Davis.

Arrangers: Tom Hemby; BeBe Winans.

Fittingly, the spiritual music scene is full of family acts, and BeBe Winans emerged from the preeminent clan of modern soulful gospel. For the longest time, the silken-voiced BeBe was content to be part of a larger act, whether singing with his brothers in the Winans or as a duo with his sister CeCe. However, in 1997, BeBe branched off successfully as a solo performer with his self-titled debut.

DREAM is BeBe's third album (not counting a live record and a Christmas collection), and it plays like the wanderings of a soul exploring his faith. He opens simply enough with a pleasant take on the Walter Hawkins composition "When You Pray," before treading down some more inventive paths. The breathy "Love Me Anyway" sounds like a Maxwell tune written for Broadway, while on "If I Let My Heart Go," the singer exposes his own uncertainty in a disarmingly heartfelt manner. Throughout it all, Winans's voice radiates as it moves through the songs with expert precision and unwavering grace. BeBe Winans knows how to explore the spirit of a song, and DREAM is more proof of that talent. minimize