The Sound - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Album Description
The Sound album released in 2008 shows Mary Mary are not ones to shy away from in-your-face declarations of faith, the girls are now more intentional than ever about whom they adore, without for a moment compromising their call to innovation and growth. The introspective 'Seattle' is a prime example, a pensive prayer that asks the Lord to descend upon the soul the same way rain falls on the Emerald City. In the vein of Mary Mary standards 'Can't Give Up Now' and 'Yesterday,' a couple of ballads on The Sound stand out for their passionate delivery: 'I Trust You' (feat. Marvin Winans) and 'I Worship You' are easily the sonic and spiritual plateaus of the album.

Customer Reviews: Read 51 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

An exciting grab-bag of sounds from Mary Mary. October 14, 2008
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

When Mary Mary released their debut album, Thankful, in 2000, they took the gospel world by storm and flipped it upside down. Never had an artist or group so masterfully combined the sounds of contemporary rhythm and blues and the message of traditional gospel. Thankful went on to become a huge success, with a top 10 R&B single ("Shackles") and a platinum plaque. Their sophomore album, Incredible, was certified gold. Since Mary Mary was so successful, their main prodcucer Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell became very in-demand in the contemporary gospel--and even plain R&B--world. Soon, there were many songs that were crafted after the original sound of Mary Mary. Being wise, Erica and Tina refused to keep on with the same sound, so on their self-titled third album, they explored new genres, such as club and even big band.

With this album, they chose to broaden their sound even more, making the title extremely appropriate. Throughout the first half of The Sound, Mary Mary tries their hand at some of the musical trends of the past (and the present) and they of course add their wonderful messages atop the wonderfully produced tracks. "The Sound" is a surprising mix of a 60's girl group tune and surfer pop/rock. The first single, "Get Up," is an inspirational dance track which switches tempos and volumes to excite the listener. "Superfriend" with David Banner is a triumphant hip-hop anthem and "God In Me" utilizes--but doesn't rely one--the vocoder, recently popularized by T-Pain. (But actually... they used it way before him on tracks like "Shackles.") It features Kierra "KiKi" Sheard, whose voice has become much more mature and incredible over the past few years. "Boom" is a R&B up-tempo with a catchy chorus. The second half of The Sound contains a string of gospel ballads that are much more traditional in nature, but they're still a bit contemporary. "I'm Running" has great harmonies, as does "Forgiven Me" with its climactic refrain. "Dirt" is a mid-tempo with a message: a flawed past helps on become a better and more well-rounded individual. "Seattle" is a delicate cry for redemption; "Holy Spirit rain/ like Seattle." And the two final tracks, "I Worship You" and "It Will All Be Worth It," show that the sisters can truly sang... which we, of course, already knew. Honestly, I couldn't be more pleased with this album. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Mary Mary. Thankful is still by favorite album of theirs, but The Sound is pretty close!

1 out of 5 stars

I really don't Understand November 1, 2008
11 out of 19 found this review helpful

There is something wrong with Christian music nowadays...I love Mary Mary, and they truly have some songs that have made an impact on the lives of many...but I don't get it? First off their album cover and pics...Yes these women are beautiful, but why... I won't say anymore than that. I noticed David Banner on the album...that was the icing on the cake. Those of you who don't know who he is, look him up. The Bible says a double minded man is unstable in all his ways...This is not a way to reach out to secular artists, but a way to corrupt those that truly look up to these artists. Then The Sound...Mary Mary has always tried to push the envelope but it gets to a point the focus doesn't feel as if it is on Jesus or God, but the talent he gave them. I am not trying to judge my sisters but if you take a look at their past albums, one of which had Destiny's Child on it, you would see the change. Another artist, who I won't name has Missy Elliot on the album and she is saying " I am a witness for Jesus"

1 out of 5 stars

WHY? November 2, 2008
9 out of 16 found this review helpful

So I have gotten every Mary Mary CD so let it be known before I write out this review that I am not hating on Mary Mary, nor am I a person that has a problem with beats in music... I DO HOWEVER HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MUSIC BEING IN THE GOSPEL SECTION THAT ISN'T GOSPEL.

So my issue is that this cd is inspirational at it's best but definitely not Gospel because the focal point of the cd IS NOT Jesus. Some songs on this upset me TREMENDOUSLY. For Example the track

God In Me- This track talks about a person that has a lot of materialistic things and how people are taking notice of the materialistic things that they have. The song says but really it is the God in them. This song takes carnal things and then relates it to the God in them. When Gospel says that people will see our WORKS and GLORIFY OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN.
So this track goes against the Gospel

Get Up- Is a nice inspirational song... it is not a gospel song though.
I give this 0 points for Gospel but points for being positive

The Sound- These lyrics are what could be found on a past Mary Mary cd... It a has a theme of victory

Boom- I don't like the sound of the song that much but the lyrics are about speaking the truth. This could be a good song but the problem is that what they talk about on the song they don't do on the cd. They don't speak the truth about Jesus on the actual cd so I find it kinda silly.

Dirt- Good concept

Seattle- The dumbest analogy I have ever heard... "Holy Spirit rain like Seattle"...

Forgiven Me- I believe this can help inspire some people, because people can live in prisons when they have been forgiven by God, but not themselves. So I give this inspirational points and 0 gospel points because it didn't mention the forgiveness of Christ.

I Worship You- LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THERE IS A GOSPEL SONG ON THE MARY MARY CD. This song is actually about God (well it is a mixture of inspirational but it is gospel too!)

I'm Runnin- Lyrics are nice

Superfriend- THIS SONG IS RIDICULOUS (and not in a good way) David Banners lyrics are OFF... not on point (well scripturally wise). This shouldn't have been done in the first place. This is a sad attempt by Mary Mary to try and Exploit David Banner so that they can attract people that usually wouldn't listen to there music, the problem is they introduce there "fans" to David Banner as well.. BIG NO NO!

This cd feels like a transition cd to leave Gospel to maybe pursue a secular career next. It feels like a crossover cd because it is leaving the focus of Jesus, but is more self focused. It is a self-help book put on cd lol

I wouldn't suggest buying this cd, but maybe downloading one track that you like for .99 Save your money... put it in the offering!

1 out of 5 stars

Disappointed... November 3, 2008
9 out of 13 found this review helpful

I want this review to be helpful so I am going to try and present this in a way so that you can understand why I am giving it this rating. Well first this was a big disappointment for me because I like gospel music and I have all the Mary Mary cd's so I had alot of excitement built up about this and when I listened to it I found myself skipping tracks and before I knew it the whole cd was over... and I'm left with a feeling of HUH?

The thing that I always liked about Mary Mary was that they had nice beats with a gospel message. On this cd the gospel message doesn't really appear to be there. I feel like I was tricked into buying a gospel cd that wasn't gospel : (

With that being said that's why I am so disappointed. So to help the people thinking about getting a cd this cd might be for you if you like secular music with a "positive message". So this cd could still be for you, but if you are expecting a gospel cd some of the songs on here might offend you a little bit because they stretch it a bit with the song "God In Me" which is more about being flashy and an attention getter then it really is about God (just a warning).

I am trying to be honest because everyone knows they see the rave reviews and then get the cd and be like WHAT? lol so I am just trying to share what I honestly feel to maybe help someone that is expecting a gospel cd or something with a similar message to past mary mary cds. I suggest finding someone with the cd or some place you can listen to it before getting it so that you know what you're getting ahead of time.

I don't know if this helped... I hope it did in some way.
Oh and there are alot of unique sounds on the cd, hence the title of the cd being "the sound".

Maybe i just had high expectations and that's why this is such a disappointment to me. They had a good run though so I'm not completely discounting them, but this cd wasn't for me.

5 out of 5 stars

No Wonder... November 11, 2008
7 out of 10 found this review helpful

It's no wonder people avoid the Church the way they do. You have judged these ladies albums on the fact that David Banner was on it? IT is ok to be innovative in your work and, just because they have enlisted the help of david banner and missy e does not mean that they have turned their back on traditional sounds. or even their fan base for that matter. this is the music business, and i think they have maintained their integrity in this business incredibly and impeccably. I give them props for having "the sound" and being progressive. How can you be in the "life" and not be progressive. That means you are not looking into the future with any optimism or hope. everyone needs growth and they have done it with this album.
Lets rejoice in what the Lord has given us. Beautiful, God worshiping, soul stirring music. they have reached a audience and have given a new generation reason to witness God's love. Lets embrace that, and "Get Up" and be thankful for a refreshing sound.

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