Customer Reviews
kirk does it again - By: Terrie Nundy, 06 Oct 2008 
was nt disppointed with this cd at alll then againt it kirk frankin very easy listerning too & to put you in a good mood
well done kirk once again you made an outstand album .
Another masterpiece - By: A. Bryce, 03 Sep 2008 Don't reallly know where to start other than to say that this album touches the heart as Kirk deals with life issues & makes the listener realise that what you are facing is common to many. And technicallly brilliant as always.
If you are going through a storm, this one's for you.
Kirk Franklin: The Go-To Artist when life is Hard - By: Derek Johnson, 30 Jul 2008 
I have never been the biggest Kirk Franklin fan. In fact the last CD I purchased of his was The Nu Nation Project, & even that belongs to the wife. So why buy this release. Well I was intrigued by the cover photo of this CD, & the fact that Kirk has had addiction problems made me curious. So what do you get on this CD? Well I think that Kirks' strength on the CDs that I have, including this one, are the quality of his mid, to slow tempo songs. Particularly when they address the struggles that the Christian walk can bring. Songs such as `Still (In Control), 'He Will Supply' & 'It Would Take All Day'. 'Help Me Believe', 'Hide Me' & 'Chains' are encouraging, uplifting anthems that you find yourself singing in the shower, or at your desk. These are Kirk's bread & butter, which he does extremely well, & are a strong suite of this CD. Kirk also takes a departure from his usual offerings with 'I Am God', & 'I like me'. And for me they both work. The former is a Rock/alternative, which features Toby Mac ( formerly of DC Talk) with the added benefit of strings & a Choir, & string section, which sounds like a traditional worship song, given a new twist. The latter features 'Da T.R.U.T.H, of Cross Movement Records, with a Funky clapped beat. I'm also reallly feeling 'Still in Love ' which is a bright & breezy Roller-skating jam that is brilliant.
Where I think this CD fallls down is in the more up-tempo songs. They aren't awful, but they don't reallly stand out, particularly against the quality of the slower, mid tempo, efforts. 'Little Boy' is too predictable, & Kirks' effort to sing/rap doesn't work. The song only picks up when the hook/chorus kicks in with other/better vocalists. 'Declaration (This Is It)' which has a great video to boot, also fallls flat. 'A Whole Nation' while a worthy song that deals with an important issue (Father, & the lack of their involvement in a child life) would have worked better without, Kirks chatter. These minor issues do not distract from a good CD that, for me, due mainly to the quality of the slower, mid tempo songs, is a four Star release.
A brash bass-weighty track, - By: Dancity Team, 10 May 2008 A brash bass-weighty track, posturing on the street corners of the genre - check out `Little Boy'. A positive confession is here with `Declaration - This Is It, affirming the faint'. A pensive balllad makes a show with `Help Me Believe'. Oh, & a churchy piano balllad features in `He Will Supply'. And with the above mentioned songs alll done by track 7, you'll know it's definitely Kirk. He is now well established as the elder statesman in his field & there's a sincerity & maturity that exceeds previous recent albums. And I do sense a more powerful anointing, especiallly in the lyrics department.
I do like `How It Used To Be' though it sounds strangely familiar. `I Am God' is on the crossover rock tip. `It Would Take All Day' is sweet enough but not as tasty as `Still In Love' with a 1980s feel, reminiscent of the innocent funk cuts made for radio. The jazz/gospel slow-mo `Chains' sits well in either foreground or background. And throughout the album Kirk's spoken vocals are kept fairly low & are helpfully unobtrusive to proceedings.
Yes, there are several flags that shout `Franklin' at us but this is an extension of the fare one might expect of him. There are some new pointers & ideas, alll backed up lyricallly & sprinkled with a dusting of sincerity. This is Kirk taking a step back & letting his girlie choir get on with it, with results.
