God rested on the seventh day. But one has to wonder whether Kirk Franklin ever slows down.
With each project, this one-man dynamo strives to push modern gospel in exciting and electrifying directions—sometimes succeeding, other times going over the top with the subtlety of an avalanche. Let this be said: The man is not boring. Who else could team up U2’s Bono, Mary J. Blige and Crystal Lewis (on the smash "Lean On Me," from 1998’s The Nu Nation Project)? And in case your pop culture attention span has waned, recall the youth gospel choir God’s Property. In 1997, it scaled an incredible peak—top of the Billboard charts, thanks in part to a stunning, Franklin-produced debut. It seemed
that Franklin, with his faith in God and tireless work ethic, really could move mountains.
Then again, skeptics had every right to wonder whether God’s Property was a one-time phenomenon. Could Franklin possibly groom another group in the same fashion? Or, in the parlance of show biz: What to do for an encore?
With One Nation Crew, Franklin answers all the questions with a righteous burst of musical joy and yet another revolution. Here, he assembles a 10-member vocal group that incorporates a wide range of stylistic influences. You could call it "multicultural gospel," as well as stunningly produced and emotionally performed. And while 1NC may not boast the sheer novelty of a God’s Property, it does have a similar youthful exuberance—rounded out by what sounds like more musical maturity.
Clocking in at just over an hour (what Franklin project is short?), One Nation Crew is long on highlights. "Breath Away" is a mesmerizing gospel groove propelled by electric piano, sidestick and a swooning refrain: "Jesus, Your love takes my breath away." It’s framed on either side by two satisfying international excursions: "Unconditional" begins with a salsa-styled rave up and a Spanish language shout to the Lord, while "Be Like Him" takes its a cappella flight straight towards Africa. Elsewhere, "Could’ve Been Me" could’ve been a Prince outtake with its pure pop structure and highly-stylized rock guitar chords (which sound like they were generated via digital keyboard).
If One Nation Crew has a downfall, it’s not musical. The spoken-word interludes, no doubt meant to break up the album’s length, sometimes impede its flow and intrude with an occasionally annoying sense of being preachy. Admittedly, that’s like eating a great meal and finding fault with the napkin. Rest assured that One Nation Crew serves up one scrumptious buffet.