What do you do when you like only three songs on one of your favorite gospel singer’s new album? You pretend that the eight of 11 tunes, the ones lazily written, do not exist. And that another, the first-ever musical rendition of the entire “I Have a Dream” speech, is a wonderful, if novel, concept. So what. You forgive all of that, because this is BeBe, the man behind “Addictive Love” and “Heaven.” His voice alone makes wack songs bearable, and you wish you could sing like him. So you find solace in how the three songs that are good are great. “Safe From Harm,” a melancholic affirmation of faith, saves the album on its own. Plus, BeBe’s singing it. So it’s awesome. And it’s on repeat in the CD player. The other really good song is “Benjamin.” It’s a hidden track, number 24, so it doesn’t really have a name. But it’s about his son, and it’s beautiful. It’s gonna be beautiful if BeBe’s singing it. Should BeBe get some energetic writers for his next CD, the whole thing will shimmer. Watch.
Khary Kimani Turner writes about music for Metro Times. E-mail [email protected].
