Live: One Last Time

Contemporary gospel's recorded music event of 2007 was staged by none other than the Clark Sisters, one of the most celebrated female vocal groups in the history of the genre. Since chief songwriter Twinkie Clark left the group to pursue a solo career in 1991, the sisters had a hard time regaining the footing they had during their prime, and eventually hung it up for almost 15 years. In that frame, they all stepped out on their own with varying degrees of success, but things were never quite the same as during the quartet's zenith. The gospel community eventually got used to the idea of Twinkie, Karen Clark-Sheard, Dorinda Clark-Cole, and Jacky Clark-Chisolm operating individually, even if the parts never quite measured up to the sum of their voices. Finally in 2006, while each of them took a breather from recording, EMI Gospel seized the opportunity to orchestrate a reunion, and in the summer of that same year, Live: One Last Time was committed to tape. Of course, a project of this caliber couldn't just be left to chance. To make sure everything sounded just right, the label enlisted producer extraordinaire Donald Lawrence, whose knack for flawlessness is perhaps the disc's only misgiving: Live is so polished, glossed over, and overdubbed to perfection, you can't possibly tell what was done live and what was done in the studio. That's not so much a criticism as an observation -- most live contemporary gospel fare is fashioned the same way, anyway, but it's a mild letdown for longtime fans, especially those anxious to hear the foursome, not some backup vocalist hired after the fact. Fortunately, these ladies aren't just any act in the genre, but one of its very architects: their voices and presence are distinguishable enough to outclass those of lesser performers. That aside, Live is still the reunion of the decade, an elegant and respectful homage to the Clarks' trailblazing heritage. Back in their full glory, the sisters offer up a mixture of their best-loved hits and a half-dozen new selections so strong, they could well be classics-in-the-making. The Karen-penned "Blessed and Highly Favored," for example, is a mesmerizing display of the siblings' gift for harmony, while Dorinda's "Looking to Get There (Heaven)" is a funky, horn-drenched preamble to kingdom come. Meanwhile, Lawrence gives the girls the disco-fied "Livin'," perhaps the most joyous thing the Clarks have recorded since their smash "You Brought the Sunshine," also included here. The undisputed star here, though, is Twinkie. Not only does the totality of the hits -- presented here in full or abbreviated form -- come from her pen, but her own originals ("Something New," "You Heard My Cry") are to die for. There's something kindred about hearing them having so much fun on-stage once again, playing off of one another, nailing old-time favorites as if they had never left the limelight. In fact, everything gels together so well, so seamlessly, one can only hope the title of the disc is merely a misprint, that the Clark Sisters are really here to stay. ~ Andree Farias, Rovi