Just the Beginning

Like the majority of gospel releases dropped in the 21st century, Just the Beginning is a live recording of stomping worship numbers, soaring ballads, and good old-fashioned preaching. Kurt Carr, with the help of his golden voiced Kurt Carr Singers, bares his soul for God and sings himself hoarse on the two-disc set. Carr, who says God directed him back to "pure church music" for this outing, gets the audience lathered up in praise and on fire for the Lord. "I Am the One," finds Carr and his singers sharing the biblical story of the ten lepers Jesus healed, of which only one turned back to offer thanks. Anyone who has felt the healing hand of God brush their life will appreciate the song's uplifting message. Swirling organ swells and ivory piano fills tangle like vines around the angelic vocals of the Carr singers. Carr gets long-winded during a few of the preaching segments, which slows the disc's momentum considerably. Some of the songs nearly collapse under their own weight for the same reason. Live in person, these types of lengthy jams and sermon segments probably resonate deeply, but on record they become monotonous. Still Carr's heart is in the right place, and that counts for a lot. Songs like "Right Time," a roof raising number that starts off slow but quickly blows up, and "Great Jesus," a synthesized ballad tempered by breathy vocals, cut right to the core of the Christian faith: Jesus is all a believer needs (and now is the time for salvation). Considering Carr's popularity, Just the Beginning is an appropriate title for this collection.