Customer Reviews

Gospel According to Patti Labelle

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There is no question that Miss Patti Labelle is probably the most soulful singer alive and it is evident in this long overdue Gospel Cd from the one and only Patti Labelle. It is hard to describe what soul is but when you hear Patti sing, you know what it is. This CD is yet another turn in Ms. Labelle's long career. The songs are an excellent mix with both contemporary Christian songs and more standard classical Gospel. On the opening Track "Did You Pray Today" , Patti delivers an engergetic performance. My favorite tracks are "Anything", "Walking Away" with CeCe Winans, and "Walking Around Heaven", "My Everything" with Wynonna Judd. Patti gives consistent great performances throughout the CD. This is a great effort and hopefully we'll hear another Gospel Album from miss Patti real soon. And as it was stated in another review on here...this CD is Grammy worthy in my opinion.
The only complaint I have about the Cd is the production. While Patti sounds great, A little more time in the mixing room would have made a big difference on this CD. I'm also not crazy on the backing choir on most of the songs. While Patti sounds real soulful, many times on this Cd the choir in the background sounds like something I'd hear at Disney or Great Adventure. The production doesnt match Patti's soulful singing. However this is not the case on "Did You Pray Today", where was this soulful choir for the rest of the CD?
Overall though, this CD is highly enjoyable and hopefully a major label will pick Patti up and give her the production and promotion Patti deserves. Patti has one thing a lot of Christian contemporary artist and even gospel artist of today are missing...soul!

I have been a PATTI fan since the days of LaBELLE!! I still have one of their albums in my collection. And I would have been a Bluebells fan, but I wasn't old enough to work the turntable by myself.
The first time I played this CD I was a little (just a smig) dissapointed that it wasn't traditional gospel like the songs she adds to her concerts (I never missed any of her concerts at DAR Constitution Hall in DC in the 80's). I was expecting those songs but by the second time listening to this, I learned that you can't hold Patti to the ol' standby's. Yes, we've "gone to church" with Sister Patti at the shows, but now lets let her spread her wings and do a little traditional sound along with some of the contemporary sounds as well.
These days if artists just stick with the ol' standby's, people will complain that they've heard them all before. AND the younger generation, the ones who hold the purse strings these days, want to hear New School stuff.
One point that a previous reviewer/semi-hater pointed out would actually be a great idea. Now that Miss Patti has done her long-awaited (studio) gospel CD, would she consider doing a LIVE Gospel CD???? You know, all those songs that she sings at the concerts that have made us cry and shake like we're about to turn the concert halls into sanctuaries of worship and praise. SISTER Patti will have you doing a holy dance one moment and drawing tears up from the depth of your soul the next. That's a Spirit that can't be duplicated, or rehearsed, or have tracks laid on top of.
MISS PATTI, if you're reading these reviews, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE oblige us, your LOYAL fans from way back, the ones who have your music on vinyl, 8-track, cassette tape and compact disc (not to mention DVD) in their collection. PLEASE let the rest of the world experience that joy that you given us (at concerts). You won't have to do any duets, or special arrangements, or have any special deals drawn up-- just have someone hit RECORD at one of your concerts and put the word out. By the time the loyal fans play it one time for the so-so fans, your GIFT will be unstoppable. Little children on the most remote island in the Pacific will be saying "PATTI, PATTI, PATTI!!!!!!!!"
And remember--DON'T BLOCK YOUR BLESSINGS, Miss Patti!!!!!

I have been a Die-Hard Patti fan since I was kid. This Gospel project has been a 16yr wait for me. I pretty much figured if Patti wouldnt release a "Traditional Gospel CD" in the 90's,then her fans would probably never see any type of CD of that stature. Now unlike 50% percent of the reviews on this site I happen to like this CD. No,it's not the type of Production that I DREAMED for this Legendary Diva. But I have listened to the album maybe 5 or 6 times in the last 3 days and I'm feeling it..

My favorite stand-outs are "Did you Pray Today"..."Where Love Begins".."Heaven"...& "I just love him so".....The Duets are spectacular. Patti chose the most popular artists on the scene who happen to have the Greatest pipes. The added bonus "The Lords Prayer" was not included on my CD...

What Patti's Fans & Critics need to understand is that unlike most Artists who live for their next Hit single and Album Patti LIVES for today. Perhaps 15 or 30yrs ago someone might have convinced Patti to do a Traditional Gospel LP or even a string of Traditional R&B LP's. But Patti is one of those rare & Unique Entertainers that Live for the blessings she receives daily. Patti doesnt look back at yesterday and say "Maybe I shoulda done this or that."...That's simply not Patti LaBelle. Patti is 62 but she has the energy & drive of a 32yr old..Patti likes young energy and she loves the young up & coming "Under-dogs". Today's Producers and Song writers are conditioned to keep artists they are working with as relevant as possible.

So to assume that Patti's going to follow suit like Aretha and many of her peers is a false sense of hope. The Late Great Luther Vandross once said,"What i always love about Patti LaBelle is that when she became a Solo performer she stuck with her Vision in how she saw herself"...Patti is not trying to be LIKE anyone else but herself. Patti is different from the rest of the bunch and always stands-out in the crowd. That's why we have come to love her so much.

The CD is not Traditional Gospel but it is Traditional Patti doing what she wants to do. If you're a fan of Contemporary Christian music,then you will enjoy this CD from a Living Icon.

Vintage Patti sings from her heart. Her selection of material and her guest artists really make for a spiritual experience worth listening to.

This is an excellent CD. Patti has stretched her talent to new heights. Just when you think that she has been there done that, she takes you somewhere you have never been. Patti collaborated with some of the best Gospel artists the industry has to offer (Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary, CeCe Winans to name a few).

This CD contains a mix of the old spiritual feel (God Ain't Through) for instance and although it is not what we here in a concert, it is a song that stands on its' own. I agree with some others in that a gospel CD geared toward what we would normally here Patti belt out in concert must be done live!

That said, you go Patti!

Finally, if you are looking for traditional gospel like Albertina Walker, this is not the CD for you but if you are like me and just like Gospel, Traditional, Contemporary and etc, then do not miss out!

You guys have been really hard on Patti here. But then again everyone has the right to their own opinion. If I was Patti and I read all these comments about how bad the CD is and how she has lost her voice, I would think it was time to throw in the towel and stop singing. Is that what you want her to do? Listen to the CD a few more times and I'm sure it will get better for you. We need to encourage the over 60 R&B artists so they will continue to record for us so that we get a chance to hear a new project every year or two. If Patti was to stop singing I for one would be devastated. But like I said if I read all these negative reviews and I was in my 60's I would certainly consider retiring. Any Patti fan would find her retirment unbearable. Think about it.

I luv me some Miss Patti just like everyone else..... but what happened? Where's that voice that goes bezerk in concert when she sings gospel? I waited years for Miss Patti to deliver an out-n-out gospel album and have to say I am very disappointed in this. Sorry, but I have to be honest. We didn't need a 27th version of You Are My Friend. Besides whoever said that was a gospel song?! This is the same kind of disappointment I had with Jennifer Holliday's "gospel" album. Please LORD, let Martha Wash's upcoming "gospel" album be a great one with all songs being top ten material. We get enough filler on the regular releases, we sure don't need it on a gospel album. Sorry Patti, I will continue to buy your music, but this is not a gospel album. It was a cop-out to call it The Gospel According To... because then you can put whatever you want on the album and call it "gospel". Perhaps I expected too much. I put Miss Patti high on a pedestal with the greats- Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston, Martha Wash, Donna Summer, etc. I guess I should thank someone that there isn't a "gospel version" of Lady Marmalade on here.

I REALLY LIKED THIS CD. I REALLY LIKE TRACK #6, GOD AINT THROUGH WORKING ON YOU, WALKING AROUND HEAVEN IS BEAUTIFUL, IT MAKES ME THINK OF THE LOVE ONES I MISS SO MUCH AND ONE DAY WE'LL BE TOGETHER AGAIN. I REALLY LIKE THE DUET WITH WYNONA, GREAT VOCAL BLEND, AND THE LORDS PRAYER SHE HITS RIGHT OUT THE BALL PARK WITH SOARING VOCALS. I LOVE THE NEW SPIN ON YOU ARE MY FRIEND. I THINK SHE DID A GREAT JOB. ALL THE HATERS NEED TO REALIZE THE WOMAN IS 62 YEARS YOUNG AND NOBODY SOUNDS EXACTLY THE SAME. TINA TURNER HAS STOPPED TOURING AND RECORDING. GLADYS KNIGHT CANT SELL A CD THESE DAYS AND HER NEW JAZZ CD IS AWFUL AND POOR DIONNE IS A LOST CAUSE. SO PATTI IS STILL THE ENTERTAINER IN A CLASS ALL HER OWN. NO ONE CAN TOUCH HER EVEN ON HER WORST DAY. AND THERES STILL NOBODY BETTER LIVE!!

Have been going thru some things and when I put this CD on it brings me back. I love it and later purchased another copy for a good friend of mine

Patti is and will continue to be an amazing artist, when you're feeling down and thinking that the world is about to close in around you, this is the cd you need, of course only after you have taken your concerns to Jesus in prayer.

Keep up the great work Patti