After the Storm

Artist: Greg O'Quin
Label: Pendulum Records
Genre: Soul, Gospel

By Monica Watkins, contributing editor, GospelMusicChannel.com

It's been eight long years since Greg O'Quin's last project and just over a decade since his infamous single, "I Told the Storm" set gospel music airwaves ablaze. O'Quin re-ignites the fire with his new vocal ensemble, iPraize, and a fresh story to tell with After the Storm. With this latest offering, O'Quin manages to carefully preserve his signature blend of traditional gospel lyrics, weaving them into contemporary tracks. Case-in-point: "Joy." The lyrics, I've got a new attitude, so much gratitude; it's all because of you, you brought joy in my life...prance joyfully over an up-tempo dance track. A not-so-subtle sample of the Beyoncé hit song "Crazy in Love" rounds out the tune's ending. Songs like "Convinced," "Survivor" and "Breakthru" send the listener to a mountaintop of peace and hope, high above the valley of today's challenging times. After the Storm is 15 tracks of colorful surprises, including an "extreme musical makeover" of the Dionne Warwick classic, "I Say A Little Prayer." With O'Quin's gorgeous vocals as the canvas, his songs are the rainbow, painting the calm skies 'after a storm.'