Alone But Not Alone (CD - 2007)

Personnel: Marvin Winans (piano); Marvin Winans; Kim Burrell (vocals); Michael 'Rip' Ripoli, Jerry McPherson, Andrew Ramsey (guitars); Doug Moffit, Doug Moffett, Bobby Taylor (woodwinds); Jennifer Plummer, Jennifer Plummer (brass); Daniel Witherspoon (piano, keyboards); Daniel Weatherspoon, Tyrone Dickerson (Hammond b-3 organ); Marvin Sims, Marvin Sims (drums); Darrell Tibbs (percussion); Debbie Winans-Lowe, The Winans (background vocals); Tommy Sims (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, synthesizer, acoustic bass, electric bass, background vocals); Nashville String Machine, Pamela Sixfin, David Davidson (strings); Jeff Coffin, Mark Douthit, Sam Levine (woodwinds); Barry Green, Mike Haynes , Steve Patrick (brass); Tim Akers (piano, keyboards); Lafayette Carthon, Jr. (piano); Javier Solís (drums, percussion); Dan Needham (drums); Jovaun Woods, Darwin Hobbs, Jerard Woods, Juan Winans, Melinda Doolittle, Peter Penrose, LeAnne Palmore (background vocals).

Additional personnel: DeShondra Rideout, Diamond Tigney, Kidz Of the Kingdom, Perfecting Youth Chorale (vocals); Kim Burrell, Take 6.

Audio Mixer: Tommy Sims.

Recording information: Dark Horse Recording; Platinum Lab; Soup Can Studio; The Bennett House & (Studio A); the Compound.

Marvin Winans rose to recognition as the lead vocalist of the family-based gospel group the Winans, and his solo albums have brimmed over with all of the passion, talent, and charisma he displayed on the Winans' recordings. ALONE BUT NOT ALONE, Marvin's fourth solo outing, is one of his best. Blending traditional gospel with contemporary R&B, funk, and even touches of jazz, Winans upholds his devotion to his faith, testifying wholeheartedly in songs like "I Still Believe" and "He Brought Me Joy." Other highlights include the lead-off single "Just Don't Wanna Know," and "I Will Try," which features the vocal group Take 6.

As one-fourth of legendary gospel quartet the Winans, Marvin Winans was used to blurring the divide between contemporary gospel and urban music. It's no surprise, then, that Alone But Not Alone, his lifetime-in-the-making solo debut, is more R&B than sanctified church praise, a style he favored for the couple of under-the-radar albums he released alongside the church he pastors, Detroit's Perfecting Church. While Winans may look like a minister in the cover art for Alone But Not Alone, the album sees him taking off his pastoral hat and turning into a consummate soul man, singing to the common man about his beliefs, his hope, and his purpose in life, all to the sounds of classic R&B, elegantly produced by Nashville veteran Tommy Sims. Winans couldn't have asked for a better sidekick -- the two complement each other's talents marvelously, each one turning in some of their most inspired -- and inspiring -- work yet. The guests themselves -- Kim Burrell, Carvin Winans, Darwin Hobbs, and the late Ronald Winans, among others -- bring an added touch of class to the singer's already classy get-together, one worthy of a modern-day Stevie Wonder or Teddy Pendergrass. With so much mainstream appeal, it's easy to fall prey to inspirational niceties, but, thankfully, Winans circumvents that, referencing his faith straightforwardly and with conviction, yet seldom coming across as preachy or pushy in the process. Part of the reason the more spiritually framed songs work is the music, which ranks as some of the most soulful to ever come from a member of the Winans family. When the sound is this alluring, this disarming, one can't help but just go to the church of Marvin Winans -- one where contemporary gospel and straight-edge soul coexist as if they were meant to worship together all along. ~ Andree Farias minimize