Title: "In Spite Of The Storm"
Description: Thomas James
Chadley - March 18, 2007 12:33 AM (GMT)
Artist Name: Thomas James
Website: www.thomasjameslive.com
Album Title: “In Spite Of The Storm”
Song Titles:
1. Brand New Now
2. In Spite Of The Storm
3. Remember Me
4. Look Who’s In The Ship
5. Unbelievable
6. His Crown
7. Mercy Met Grace
8. The Tomb Is Empty
9. Homecoming Day
10. Holy, Holy, Holy
“In Spite Of The Storm” is the newest album from Thomas James, a soloist based out of Newton Falls, OH. Style-wise, it seems to be pretty straightforward Southern Gospel- not “old style” and yet not “ultra-contemporary”. You’ll also hear a bit of a country flair to most of the songs. The arrangements are very much well done and do not detract from the vocals at all. The producers, engineers, mixers, etc. did a very good job in this area.
The cover of the album is very neat. It’s good to see that his graphic designer understands the benefit of minimizing “visual clutter”. There is a clear picture of Thomas with his name and the title of the album. Inside the cover, you will find the production notes and a booking address for Thomas. As many of our readers well know, I personally like for artists to include song lyrics in their CD covers. I know that this is a greater expense, but for me it makes listening so much easier. (I’m one who will often read the lyrics as I’m listening to the album in order to help me get to know the songs better.) However, there were no song lyrics in the album cover.
Now, let’s take a look at each of the songs on the album.
Song #1 is called “Brand New Now”. This is a medium-tempo song with a good message. Thomas seems to have a vocal range comparable to a low lead/high baritone singer. This song is followed by the album’s title track, “In Spite Of The Storm”. The tempo is pretty much the same as the previous song, only a little slower. This song shows off Thomas’ vocal range a bit more on the higher and lower ends.
The tempo slows down a bit more for the third song, “Remember Me”. This gives us the opportunity to hear Thomas interpret a ballad-style song, and he does a good job with it. “Look Who’s In The Ship”, the fourth song, is the first upbeat song on the album. It has a catchy tune and an encouraging message that we all need to keep in mind. This leads very well into the fifth song, the medium-tempo “Unbelievable”. This is another song with a catchy arrangement that I think listeners will enjoy.
Thomas keeps the tempo upbeat with Song #6, “His Crown”. This song has a slightly heavier beat than the others, and it’s a nice change-of-pace. It is obviously meant to be an encouraging song of praise, and I can only imagine how fun it was to sing it. The tempo then slows down for the seventh song, “Mercy Met Grace”.
Next up is “The Tomb Is Empty”. This is an upbeat song with a good message for the Easter season. This leads into the ballad “Homecoming Day”, the ninth song on the album. This slower-tempo song speaks of what it will be like when we get to Heaven.
The album closes with another song with a heavier beat than most of the others. “Holy, Holy, Holy” is another song with a catchy arrangement, and it is a very good choice of song with which to close the album.
It is obvious to me that Thomas was very careful about the songs that he chose for this album. Each one has a good, clear message. There was a good mix of tempos represented. Song selection really makes a difference in an album, and it is certainly one of this album’s strengths. Thomas has a good tone to his voice, and he doesn’t try to sing out of his range. Again, this is a definite plus in my book. His voice is somewhat reminiscent of Russ Taff (although smoother) with a little bit of a country twist thrown in.
However, there is one thing that I noticed as Thomas was singing. At times, Thomas tends to “oversing” his songs. Sometimes it seems as though he is trying just a little too hard, when all he really needs to do is concentrate on just singing the song and let his voice do the work. Again, he has a good tone, and I think that this would help make some of his vocals just a bit smoother. Also, I might have changed the order of the songs on the album slightly. I think the album would have flowed just a bit smoother if it had opened with a more up-tempo song.
In closing, Thomas has put out an album that I think many will enjoy and that will be a blessing to its listeners. I want to thank Thomas for the opportunity to review this album. Overall, I think that this album deserves a rating of 3 1/2 out of a possible 5 microphones!
Personal Favorites: “In Spite Of The Storm”, “Look Who’s In The Ship”, “His Crown”, and “Holy, Holy, Holy”