"Realizing the Dream" by Bryan Austin (Spiritual artist from Missouri (MO))

Bryan Austin's "Realizing the Dream" is a traditional gospel album from a talented singer with a tremendous amount of faith. Bryan's journey is a passionate one. Austin approaches every song differently and puts everything he has into his performance. He has an impressive vocal range and belts it out with passion, raw emotion, and intimacy to the likes of Aaron Neville and Luther Vandross. Austin bares himself to his audience hoping the audience will, in turn, bear witness to the spiritual presence of the Lord. The arrangements are simple and could all be intimated inside a house of the Lord since Austin treats each track like a soulful gospel hymn. It's all about good old fashioned praise. The recording quality of "Realizing the Dream" nicely matches the rawness of Austin's vocal performance and doesn't rely on any effects to be effective. Highlights include "The Anchor Holds," which gives you a first taste of Austin's talent as a vocalist and really kicks off the journey. "Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus" features some nice harmony and layering in the vocals and plays on a familiar song of patriotism. "Were You There" wraps things up with a nice guitar progression and beautiful female backing vocals. If you enjoy good ol' fashioned, soulful gospel, give "Realizing the Dream" a listen.

-William and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team
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"Can You Hear Me Now" by Deborah Malena (Spiritual Artist from California(CA))

"Can You Hear Me Now" is an excellent contemporary Christian album with a southern/gospel flair from Deborah Malena. Deborah's voice and lyrics draw you in immediately. She is quite a talented writer, and her inventive words flow right off her tongue. Her voice has a similar power and vulnerability to that of Karen Carpenter. The songs are all very well arranged, and the instrumentation compliments Deborah's style very well. Above all, "Can You Hear Me Now" displays fantastic songwriting on all ends, allowing the album to flow along with ease. The production is great and gives the album a timeless quality. "Master of the Waves" opens things up with a fantastic song structure, a warm vibe, and excellent performances all around. Other highlights include the title track, "Can You Hear Me Now," with a fantastic guitar progression, great changes, and a wonderful vocal performance filled with great harmonies and an impressive display of vocal range. "Jesus Loves Me Even Though" strips things down to acoustic guitar and vocals, giving the listener an intimate experience with Deborah. If you enjoy great singer/songwriters with a strong message and a world of talent, give Deborah a try.

-William
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“The Blessing” by Larry Randall (Spiritual/Jazz artist from Texas)

"The Blessing" is a four CD, eighty-six song spiritually inspiring, contemporary jazz gospel box set from Larry Randall. Randall believes that he was called upon to minister the word of God with music, to express the Holy Ghost within him through song in hopes of inspiring the Holy Ghost in his listener. Not surprisingly, all eighty-six songs are filled with religious imagery and spiritual, joyous, Biblical, and even prophetic lyrics. Vocally, Randall is a crooner, and at times sounds similar to Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé. The arrangements are typically simple and soft, so as not to overshadow Randall's message, but they are great collaborative efforts that hail from a variety of genres, including smooth jazz, big band, gospel, soul, Latin, Hindi, rock & roll, and R&B. The recording quality of "The Blessing" is quite good, and the arrangements and vocals both sound polished and professional. "We Are Home" is a slow smooth jazz number with smooth saxophone solos and lyrics of faith and unity. "Speak of His Joy" is a big band tune you could swear was actually being sung by Sinatra, and has more religious imagery about salvation and grace. "His Name is Jesus" has a great jazz arrangement as Randall pilfers through all of the names for Jesus. "Stand" is a fast-paced song with a Hindi-music-inspired arrangement and a group chant vocal. "Faithful and True" is a gospel song with a great organ-led arrangement and is a conversation between Randall and Jesus. "The Blessing" is a bold box set with great arrangements and ministering lyrics, and is it mere coincidence that it is a Bible-sized effort? Fans of contemporary jazz gospel looking to worship God through song, pick up Larry Randall's box set.

-Chris & the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team
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"Driven" by Jordan Biel (Spiritual Artist from Ohio(OH))

"Driven" by Jordan Biel is an upbeat Christian Rock album aimed at inspiring faith in Jesus Christ. The band features a healthy lineup of musicians that bring the sound to a great level of fullness. The melodies in the vocals definitely stand out, and the songs are very catchy and have a great sing-along quality. The arrangements vary nicely from track to track and offer a nice variance in song structure. Above all, the album creates an undeniable energy and displays a great amount of passion. The production value is also very good: All aspects of the sound are well represented. Highlights are "With You" which opens the album with a catchy guitar riff, fun vocal pacing and an addicting chorus. "Worthy Is The Lamb" features a delicate organ progression and intimate vocals. "Freedom To Worship" opens with a thick guitar riff and erupts into a powerful, driving song that is fit for an arena-sized venue. If you enjoy songs of praise and a big sound, you will enjoy this excellent CD.

-William
Check out Jordan Biel's music on RadioIndy.com with link to purchase and links to popular sites