A gospel album anchored on traditional material and hymns,
My Chains Are Gone
feels almost incidental, functioning as a kind of a postscript to the accompanying DVD, which documents
Reba McEntire
's first solo headlining show at the Ryman Auditorium in 2017, along with new performances from 2021 captured at Nashville's Clementine.
McEntire
was promoting the release of
Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope
, a double-disc set of religious material that provides the source for the music on this collection. The visuals are the chief attraction here, but the understated music on
has its appeal. As clean and serene as any contemporary Christian production, the album keeps the focus on
Reba
's voice, which is a wise choice as there aren't many surprises in either the song selection or the arrangements.
is as straight-ahead as country gospel gets -- the cameos from
Kelly Clarkson
and
Trisha Yearwood
on "Softly and Tenderly" and
the Isaacs
appearances on "In the Garden/Wonderful Peace" and "It Is Well with My Soul" pass by almost without notice -- so it's best to keep it simple, especially considering how compelling
can sound when she's unadorned. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine