Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An exciting grab-bag of sounds from Mary Mary., October 14, 2008
When Mary Mary released their debut album, Thankful, in 2000, they took the gospel world by storm and flipped it upside down. Never had an artist or group so masterfully combined the sounds of contemporary rhythm and blues and the message of traditional gospel. Thankful went on to become a huge success, with a top 10 R&B single ("Shackles") and a platinum plaque. Their sophomore album, Incredible, was certified gold. Since Mary Mary was so successful, their main prodcucer Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell became very in-demand in the contemporary gospel--and even plain R&B--world. Soon, there were many songs that were crafted after the original sound of Mary Mary. Being wise, Erica and Tina refused to keep on with the same sound, so on their self-titled third album, they explored new genres, such as club and even big band.
With this album, they chose to broaden their sound even more, making the title extremely appropriate. Throughout the first half of The Sound, Mary Mary tries their hand at some of the musical trends of the past (and the present) and they of course add their wonderful messages atop the wonderfully produced tracks. "The Sound" is a surprising mix of a 60's girl group tune and surfer pop/rock. The first single, "Get Up," is an inspirational dance track which switches tempos and volumes to excite the listener. "Superfriend" with David Banner is a triumphant hip-hop anthem and "God In Me" utilizes--but doesn't rely one--the vocoder, recently popularized by T-Pain. (But actually... they used it way before him on tracks like "Shackles.") It features Kierra "KiKi" Sheard, whose voice has become much more mature and incredible over the past few years. "Boom" is a R&B up-tempo with a catchy chorus. The second half of The Sound contains a string of gospel ballads that are much more traditional in nature, but they're still a bit contemporary. "I'm Running" has great harmonies, as does "Forgiven Me" with its climactic refrain. "Dirt" is a mid-tempo with a message: a flawed past helps on become a better and more well-rounded individual. "Seattle" is a delicate cry for redemption; "Holy Spirit rain/ like Seattle." And the two final tracks, "I Worship You" and "It Will All Be Worth It," show that the sisters can truly sang... which we, of course, already knew. Honestly, I couldn't be more pleased with this album. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Mary Mary. Thankful is still by favorite album of theirs, but The Sound is pretty close!
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I can only say good things about this CD..., February 28, 2009
My daughters both highly recommended this CD by Mary, Mary. But it wasn't until I saw a video of "I Worship You" that I decided to check it out. I listened to the sample tracks, and despite some of the negative reviews here, I bought it.
Thank God I did not listen to the bad press! This is THE most praise and worship-filled Christian CD I have bought in a long time. The songs lift my spirits and send me to a place of worship and adoration of my Lord that I never want to come down from.
I am of the belief that Believers don't have to say "Jesus" or "God" or "Praise the Lord" every other word for the act of worship and adoration to be realized. Mary, Mary has hit that place with this CD. There is no mistaking Who these ladies are devoted to. God has given them a versatility in their music that helps deliver His message to a wide audience.
What I learned from this particular purchase is to listen for myself and let the Spirit speak to my heart about what praise and worship is and what it is not.
I like the whole CD, and the songs that bring tears to my eyes especially are: God in Me, I'm Running (includes Psalm 42, one of my favorites), Forgiven Me, Seattle, I Worship You, and It Will All Be Worth It. I think that is almost the entire CD! :-)
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27 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed..., November 3, 2008
I want this review to be helpful so I am going to try and present this in a way so that you can understand why I am giving it this rating. Well first this was a big disappointment for me because I like gospel music and I have all the Mary Mary cd's so I had alot of excitement built up about this and when I listened to it I found myself skipping tracks and before I knew it the whole cd was over... and I'm left with a feeling of HUH?
The thing that I always liked about Mary Mary was that they had nice beats with a gospel message. On this cd the gospel message doesn't really appear to be there. I feel like I was tricked into buying a gospel cd that wasn't gospel : (
With that being said that's why I am so disappointed. So to help the people thinking about getting a cd this cd might be for you if you like secular music with a "positive message". So this cd could still be for you, but if you are expecting a gospel cd some of the songs on here might offend you a little bit because they stretch it a bit with the song "God In Me" which is more about being flashy and an attention getter then it really is about God (just a warning).
I am trying to be honest because everyone knows they see the rave reviews and then get the cd and be like WHAT? lol so I am just trying to share what I honestly feel to maybe help someone that is expecting a gospel cd or something with a similar message to past mary mary cds. I suggest finding someone with the cd or some place you can listen to it before getting it so that you know what you're getting ahead of time.
I don't know if this helped... I hope it did in some way.
Oh and there are alot of unique sounds on the cd, hence the title of the cd being "the sound".
Maybe i just had high expectations and that's why this is such a disappointment to me. They had a good run though so I'm not completely discounting them, but this cd wasn't for me.
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