Ethan Kent "Work in Progress" Album Review

Last year Tamela Mann gave us first class tickets on the heavenly express to the King with her smash hit "Take Me to the King." This year belongs to Ethan Kent. Parked in Billboard's Gospel chart for 15 weeks is Ethan Kent's debut single "My Hope is in the Glory." Just as Mann takes us uninterrupted into the throne room of God, Kent's "My Hope is in the Glory" makes our longing for God's abode even sweeter. Lyrically reminiscent of "This World is Not My Home," this is the type of song that can literally lift our gaze from the rumblings of this earth's woes to the glorious riches of heaven. Though Kent is a rookie in Gospel music, his first record shows no signs that this is an inchoate effort. Rather, incorporating the freshest sounds that would get young fans grooving to, it is equally woven with poetically crafted truths taken straight out of Scripture. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and later raised in Dallas, Texas, Kent came from a single parent home where he had tasted the roughness of life. Yet, his mother and his church (Faith Christian Center) had never given up on him helping him nurture his talents in worship and music.

Today, Kent not only plays a plethora of instruments, he also sings, writes and produces every song on this debut project. The album kicks with this set's jewel: "W.O.R.K." recalls the words of Jesus in Matthew 9:35-38 where our Lord calls upon us to labor for the things that are eternal. What makes "W.O.R.K." work is that it wraps this hook-laden tune with the best of today's sounds including an Auto-tuned-female-vocal and some snappy hand-clapping drum sounds. "Work in Progress" slowly slides into an explosive choral heavy chorus that remind us of those epic songs (such as "Stranger and Moscow" or "Earth Song") that Michael Jackson used to do. Matching the song's juggernaut sounds is its lyrics which find Kent exulting each of us to shine for Jesus in order to light up this world. "Castaway," an ode to never giving up hope, finds Kent in a time warp as he revisits the 70s soul sounds of Smokey Robinson. With those tingling jazzy piano and that old Motown slapping sounding drums, nostalgic has never sounded that contemporary in Kent's hands.

Lauren Lee who sings along with Kent, the gentle whistling and the delightful piano chops give "People" a lilting feel making one feel like listening to a show tune lifted from one of those classic black and white movies. "Trusting" (which only runs for a tad over 2 minutes) shows that you don't have to engage in tedium in order to get your message cross. Rather, wasting not a single beat, trusting God has never been more eloquently conveyed. Ballad lovers have to wait till the eighth track "Good to Me" for Kent to decelerate the tempo. Kent has a voice that is made to croon: his velvety nuances have an effective way of fixating our gaze upon all the blessings God has showered on our lives. Those who feel overlooked by God will feel refreshed when the song's over. "Take This Pride" continues on same balladry trajectory where Kent gets even more intimate with the Father on what is essentially a prayer of surrender to God.

On what is essentially a worship record, the album is oddly tagged with a couple of love songs deemed as "bonus tracks." Given the freshness of this disc's sounds, it's bound to attract a fair share of young people. And to this demographic "I Found Her" is Kent's advice to all young men not to rush to settle for the hottest girl around. Rather, wizened with Godly insights, "I Found Her" finds Kent encouraging younger fans to wait on God for the right woman. Kent gets romantic with "Will You Marry Me?:" a song destined to be a wedding classic to be. "Work in Progress," on the whole, is a oxymoronic record. It's an album that flutters with a hybrid of today's coolest beats as well as the best of those old Motown sounds. And lyrically, God and Godly values are never wavered; rather, they are made extremely palatable and gorgeously desirable.

 

 

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