Columbus, Ohio’s seven-member Men of God’s Heart is a hybrid of quartet and contemporary gospel. The young group’s lyrics, lead vocals, and harmonies have quartet provenance, but the modern arrangements and musical vibe are contemporary. They demonstrate this combination on their new album, No More Secrets.
The album's current single, “Daybreak,” borrows from Psalm 30:5 (“weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning”) for its message of encouragement. “Heavy Load” examines the concept in more detail through its emotional catharsis about overcoming sickness and pain through God's grace. “Whenever I Needed You” is the lyrical follow-up, a thanksgiving for delivering the believer through trials. The power-packed “Don’t Worry,” with its hard shouting lead, reiterates this important lesson.
The title track knits another thematic thread into the CD: that God sees and knows everything we do, so we must follow the straight and narrow way. “2 Faced” offers a tongue-in-cheek example of this point by chiding church folk who smile in public and backstab in private. Be real or beware is the song's motto.
MGH’s down-home quartet side comes out on the churchy, drive-tempo “I’m Standing.” The group switches leads with the exuberance of the Victory Travelers on this hand-clapper that sounds straight outta Mississippi or Alabama.
The singers proffer meaty harmonies and falsetto flights, such as on “Don’t Leave Me,” which jumps to falsetto and pretty much stays there for the remainder of the track. Imagine a mash-up between the Williams Singers and God’s Image (GI), and you have Men of God's Heart.
Four of Five Stars
Picks: “Daybreak,” “I’m Standing.”
By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog
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