Smokie Norful “Forever Yours” Album Review

Prime Cuts: No Greater Love, Run Run, In the Meantime

In this age of instant messaging via social media, letter writing has become an antiquated exercise of the past.  Twitter-ology with the prevalence of @ and # has become the lingua franca of today's generation.  As a result, this has liquidated our capabilities to express our worship of God in ways that are fresh, arresting and creative.  Sadly, such a literary impoverishment is most acutely felt in today's sermons and songs.  Instead of frivolously throwing out yet another twitter worthy album in record time, Smokie Norful has taken his time, five years to be precise, to craft "Forever Yours."  Written in the form of a love letter to Jesus Christ, every song on this project finds Norful reaching into the recess of his soul before articulating them. In short, these songs show a judicious balance between ruminative depth and theological maturity.   

However, this is not to suggest that "Forever Yours" is warped in antiquity.  Despite the insightful depths of its lyrical content, "Forever Yours" flourishes with the latest sounds in R&B, throwback urban soul, and Sunday morning adrenaline pumping worship.  The credit of such fresh sounds belongs to the involvement of a cadre of today's hottest producers including Aaron Lindsey, Tony Dixon, Derek D.O.A. Allen, Elvis Williams (Blac Elvis) and Warryn Campbell.  Before we go on to in our exposition of these songs, it's important to note that this album comes in two configurations:  the standard version houses 10 songs, while the deluxe version has 4 more songs, of which the bonus song "Always Remember" alone is worth the extra cash.

Norful is at his best when he croons a ballad.  This explains why his latest single "No Greater Love" is his fastest career rising single on Billboard's Gospel song chart.  Released around Father's Day, "No Greater Love" details the unconditional love of a father which can both be a referent to God as well as our earthly fathers.  In our culture of absentee dads and single parent homes, "No Greater Love" is the type of songs that ought to serve as wake up calls for the men in our churches.  "In the Meantime" is for the underdogs and those who are waiting on the Lord. Anyone who has been a Christian long enough knows that the word "wait" is the most challenging word to come out of the Bible.  This song not only accompanies us in our waiting but it reassures us of God's providence in ways that can irate the tear duct. "Run Run," on the other hand, shows that Auto-voicing and old fashion sounding strings can work conterminously on this ballad of trust.

Despite its overbearing percussion, the title cut "Forever Yours" is a gorgeous love song to Jesus that has a way of disarming us of our doubts and fears.  And when the tempo accelerates, "Imperfect Me" is a keeper.  Featuring a throwback to the 70s R&B sound, Norful sounds so much like Stevie Wonder especially in the way he swirls his voice around his notes. However, with Israel Houghton and Aaron Lindsey behind the creation of "Mighty God," one's lofty expectation is blighted when it teeters towards the side of the ordinary as far as church pumping worship songs go.  Much better is the Blac Elvis' contribution "Nothing is Impossible" with its Jamaican reggae feel that recalls Papa San at his best.  

Being the senior pastor of Victory Cathedral Church in Bollingbrock and with the scores of years in the music ministry, Norful offers spades of his heart, insights and love in the crafting of this love letter to Jesus.  This is not a twitter like of an album that is pithy in its content and forgettable in terms of melody. Rather, like a well crafted love letter, it needs to be heard again and again.

 

 

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