My Chains Are Gone

A gospel album anchored on traditional material and hymns, My Chains Are Gone feels almost incidental, functioning as a kind of a postscript to the accompanying DVD, which documents Reba McEntires first solo headlining show at the Ryman Auditorium in 2017, along with new performances from 2021 captured at Nashvilles Clementine. McEntire was promoting the release of Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope, a double-disc set of religious material that provides the source for the music on this collection. The visuals are the chief attraction here, but the understated music on My Chains Are Gone has its appeal. As clean and serene as any contemporary Christian production, the album keeps the focus on Rebas voice, which is a wise choice as there arent many surprises in either the song selection or the arrangements. My Chains Are Gone is as straight-ahead as country gospel gets -- the cameos from Kelly Clarkson and Trisha Yearwood on "Softly and Tenderly" and the Isaacs appearances on "In the Garden/Wonderful Peace" and "It Is Well with My Soul" pass by almost without notice -- so its best to keep it simple, especially considering how compelling McEntire can sound when shes unadorned. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine