Title: "Minister Love"
Description: Melinda Hand
Chadley - May 10, 2007 09:03 PM (GMT)
Artist Name: Melinda Hand
Website: www.melindahand.com, www.handministries.com
Album Title: “Minister Love”
Song Titles:
1. Only For You
2. Minister Love
3. It’s Not My Battle
4. He Was Saving Me
5. I Could Never Praise Him Enough
6. Give It To Jesus
7. I Will Carry You
8. Make It Count
9. Sing
10. There You Are
Fans of the group “Embrace” will remember Melinda Hand very well. Since leaving “Embrace” at the end of 2006, she has embarked on a solo ministry as well as a marriage ministry with her husband, Paul. Be sure to check out the above-listed websites to read about their testimony and ministry.
“Minister Love” is the first album of that new solo ministry. The album has a contemporary feel to it, and it is very enjoyable to listen to. The cover of the album is simply a picture of Melinda along with her name and the name of the album. The album contains 10 songs, each with a wonderful message. It was interesting to see, as I looked at the liner notes of the album, that the vocal arrangements were done by Marci Ferguson. Fans of the group “Embrace” will also remember her as the other female group member besides Melinda, and it’s good to see the two of them working together on Melinda’s solo project.
Now, let’s take a look at each of the songs.
“Only For You” starts the album off. It’s an upbeat song that showcases Melinda’s voice very well. Her vocals are clear and strong, just as they’ve always been. This song is followed by the title track of the album, “Minister Love”. It’s a medium-tempo song that doesn’t require a lot of “power” in the vocals. Melinda’s rendition of this song is very smooth, although I must make one comment here. The chorus has a line that includes the line, “a little help from up above”, and Melinda sounds a bit like she’s leaving the “p” off of the word “help”. This might be something to be careful with.
Song #3 is called “It’s Not My Battle”. It speeds the tempo up a bit from the previous song, and the arrangement has that “driving” feel to it. Next comes the first slow ballad of the album. “He Was Saving Me” allows us to hear the softer side of Melinda’s voice, and it is a beautiful sound. The tempo goes back up to medium with the next song, “I Could Never Praise Him Enough.” This song requires a little bit of “vocal power”, and Melinda shows that she has all that is necessary in that area.
Song #6 is a medium-tempo song called “Give It To Jesus”. I must say that I particularly like the arrangement of this song. Next in line is another slow ballad entitled “I Will Carry You”. This one includes a choir backing Melinda’s lead vocals. The eighth song is a medium-tempo one called “Make It Count”, and it is another song whose arrangement I especially like.
The ninth song, “Sing”, speeds the tempo back up considerably from the previous song. This is another song that allows Melinda to show off the power in her voice. The album ends with another soft, slow ballad with just simple piano accompaniment in the background. “There You Are” is a song that needs smooth vocals, and Melinda performs it perfectly.
Going into a solo ministry seems to have been a good choice for Melinda. Her voice is one that people will definitely enjoy listening to over and over again, and I think that her singing will also be an asset to their marriage ministry. Their website mentions that it won’t be long before their two daughters start singing with their mother. If their voices are anything like Melinda’s, then I think we’ll have a mighty fine ladies’ trio on our hands at that point.
Overall, I think that this was an excellent album. One of its greatest strengths was the song selection. Not only was there a good variety of tempos and styles, but each song had a clear and strong message to it. The only thing that I think Melinda needs to pay attention to is the enunciation of her words at certain points- usually when she hits her higher notes. Other than that, this was a top-notch album in every way. Without hesitation, I give Melinda’s debut solo album a rating of 4 ½ out of 5 microphones!
Personal Favorites: “Minister Love”, “It’s Not My Battle”, “Give It To Jesus”, and “Make It Count”