Songs Of Emotional Healing

Album review

The theme of CeCe Winans' ninth album, Songs of Emotional Healing, is contained in the title. The all-ballad collection is devoted to offering spiritual support for the emotionally battered, and Winans starts at the bottom with "It's Gonna Get Better," a song intended to dissuade potential suicides. "Please don't throw your life away," she implores, "Joy will come." Winans' vocal similarity to Michael Jackson, who died in the year preceding this album's release, gives the song a disconcerting element that is unintended but hard to ignore. Having persuaded her listener that life is worth living, Winans moves on to "The Healing Part," asking "What About You" before declaring "You Are Loved." Then, the overtly religious section kicks in, as, against an acoustic piano, she reveals "He's Concerned," adding "His Strength Is Perfect" and "He's Always There." Strangely, the album then concludes with "Comforter," which is sung to God and makes it sound like He is offering comfort to the survivors of someone who has died. Maybe Winans is simply covering all her bases; if she can't stop a suicide, at least she and her God can move on to the survivors and deal with them. Of course, there's not really that much rational thought behind the album's songs; the point is that God is here to help, and CeCe Winans is here to convey His message in her soothing voice.

© William Ruhlmann /TiVo