Sign up for our free newsletter:

Gospel music has a king, a queen, a first lady, a joy princess, and just about any distinction—either regal or imagined—its pundits decide to create. Recently, Dorinda Clark-Cole was dubbed "The Rose of Gospel," whatever that means. In a similar vein, Byron Cage boasts the title of "Prince of Praise," a royal title that rightfully became his after his major-label debut, Live at New Birth Cathedral, became a multiple Stellar Award-winning smash. For An Invitation to Worship, the former Purpose frontman returns to New Birth, the Atlanta mega-church where he recorded his previous album.

But instead of choirmaster Kurt Carr—who produced his first GospoCentric disc—Cage tapped the typically urban-minded production team PAJAM for assistance. Fortunately, they do an admirable job of not turning this into a hip-hop mise-en-scène, capably capturing the contemporary gospel environment of Cage's previous albums. Although they don't deviate from the artist's vision, at times they get tempted to let their colors show, as in the rhythmic opener "I Will Bless the Lord." Later, the producers let loose even more with the infectious "Worship the King," a track with enough cadence to render it a fine dance-worthy number, but overall not as worshipful as its title may imply.

Therein lies the major limitation of Invitation to Worship. Blame it on the way it was recorded or Cage's timidity in actually leading his congregation, but for the most part, all you hear is the vocalist bidding everyone to sing and his choir obediently following suit. But rarely do you hear the audience engaged in song. Compositionally, it's a very good gospel recording—top-notch musicianship, inspiring praise material, tight arrangements, great choral work—but as a corporate, church-based project, the audio portion makes it seem like congregants are simply watching from the sidelines. It's a nicely presented Invitation, but the question is whether or not it's one that guests can readily respond to.

© Andree Farias, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

Click here to view our music review archives.

Visit the artist pages for related interviews and reviews.

				Try an Issue of Today's Christian RISK-FREE! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Today's Christian coming, honor your invoice for just $17.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issues are yours to keep, regardless. Give Today's Christian as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!