It's Already Done

Another solid set by the Atlanta-based contemporary gospel singer Evelyn Turrentine-Agee, 2003's It's Already Done is an expansive double-album-length (15 songs in 75 minutes) set of soulful gospel. The songs are mostly originals, with a cover of Eddie Howard Jr.'s powerful, blues-like "Come Back Home" and a pair of traditional spirituals, "I Recommend Jesus" and "I Surrender All," rounding out the set. The arrangements are rooted in the rich, organic sound of '60s and '70s soul, with few feints toward inappropriately modern production techniques. Richard Gibbs' organ and clavinet are at the roots of the songs, but the focus throughout is on Turrentine-Agee's rich, expressive and striking voice. The songs invariably stretch out well over four or five minutes apiece, giving Turrentine-Agee and her backing vocalists plenty of room for exciting call-and-response passages and melisma-rich but rarely oversung solos. ~ Stewart Mason