Surrounded
marked the beginning of a new era for contemporary gospel group
Men of Standard
. In terms of associations, the disc also marked their transition from foursome to threesome -- former member
Michael Bacon
parted ways in 2005 -- and their shift from
Malaco
's
Music Shoals
label to
Columbia Records
. More importantly,
recast them as a contemporary R&B trio. In Christian circles, the style is called urban gospel, but other than the empowering, worshipful messages,
has little in common with the down and dirty nature of gospel. Instead, the effort recalls
Boyz II Men
,
Jagged Edge
Blackstreet
, and other vocal groups that favor slickness over substance. Before anyone cries wolf,
don't lack depth or spiritual zeal, but they do skew younger in the album's first four tracks, sounding every bit like the male counterparts of gospel duo
Mary Mary
-- the connection is sensible, seeing how both groups share hitmaker
Warryn Campbell
as producer. Once the bouncy bangers run their course,
begin to sound their age, turning in a stylish, soulful numbers that would fit swimmingly on adult urban stations, like the
Stevie
-ish titular song and the excellent
"I Need You,"
the best song
Babyface
never wrote.
really kill the performances in this stretch of
, particularly the live band gospel stuff (
"Cover Me,"
"Yours"
), which the group handles with enough composure and self-assurance to remind us why
were once one of the most promising groups in contemporary gospel music. ~ Andree Farias