XV

The Chicago Mass Choir employs original material on the live album XV, much of it written by choral director Percy Gray Jr. But the style is always traditional black gospel, with many songs set to frantic tempos as a soloist leads the choir in call-and-response expressions of praise and worship. The pace is set early with the triumvirate of "You Are My King," "You're an Awesome God," and "Mighty Good God," before the group is finally able to slow down and catch its breath for the ballad "Wash All My Sins Away." There's nothing particularly distinguished about the music as written, and, deliberately, this is not an innovative act. What sets it apart is its fervor, but also impressive are the individual soloists who spell each other in their emotional expressions of faith. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi