What About Love?
Artist: Ingrid D. Johnson
Label: In The Closet
Productions
Release Date: September 1, 2012
Duration: 15 tracks, 1:03:04
There is a shining, vibrant Christian artist in Ingrid D.
Johnson. And I do mean artist as Johnson is a poet, filmmaker, and musician.
With strong Christian message and a heart for social justice shown throughout
her work the listener encounters faith, relationships, and a generous offering
of love in What About Love?. With vocal qualities at times similar to Diana
Ross and Sarah Vaughn, and phrasing at times like Billy Holiday, Johnson
delivers a gem.
Of a troubled past and finding a new life in Christ, “On My
Own” gives a telling story of regrets and resolution with great R&B flavor
highlighted by hot piano and lead guitar with a mix of spoken word in the lyrics to dramatize the message. “I’ve
Got The Blues” shows why jazz and blues are so closely connected with great
trumpet and bluesy vocals. Listening to this song and others on What About
Love? leaves the listener scratching their head over learning this is Johnson’s
first musical effort! This amazingly good. “Fri-enemy” is a pop-orientated
social justice song of a different nature, that being between social classes.
The title track, “What About Love?”, has great message and
great vocals accented by lead guitar while asking,
‘What about I’m sorry, what about
forgiveness?
What about mercy, Oh, what about
love?
One of a number of tunes with reggae influence, “Opium Bride”
(re: young girls sold to pay a family’s
debt) has smoldering beat with a strong message similar to a number of Sade’s songs.
“Come Back” states; ‘Come back to the place I called you, don’t you know I love
you, won’t you come back please?’,
depicting how we fall to sin and how God calls us back to Him. Great trumpet
and solid backbeat are also found in poppier numbers “It Was Me”, “Failing”,
and others.
“Stronger
That I Thought” is a rocky blues anthem with great harmonies, strong poetry in
the lyrics, and again superb trumpet by Phil Collins. This is a strong tune telling
of times when we nearly give up and hope saves us. “Oh, Oh” (featuring Jayda
Mushinski) pairs Johnson’s vocals pleading for change playing against two
spoken pieces representing letters from children to parents of failure and
hurt.
There are songs on What About Love? that elevate the overall
collection to a much higher status due to superb production, great lead vocals
and musicianship. While there are a fair number of relationship-based songs, there
also are statements of love, compassion, and social justice in the form of pop,
blues, R&B, and some jazz sounds. This is the rare kind of CCM release. Finally
a touch of jazz in CCM. There’s been Sam Levine, Ray Lyon, and others, but jazz
vocals are seldom found in CCM as they are here, along with blues and pop. Why
jazz in CCM? For any number of reasons, particularly since jazz was born from
gospel among other forms of music.
What About Love? Compels the listener to ask this question
for the themselves, their world and the world at large. Johnson asks ‘What
About Love?” John Lennon stated, ‘love is the answer’. Christ lived a life of
compassion and love. What about love?
Scott S Mertens
3 1/2 tocks
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