Love & Freedom
The USA may be founded on the principle of separation of church  and state, but when Christian music artists attempt to cross over to  the mainstream, it's hard to keep the lines from blurring. Chances are  pretty good that when BeBe Winans--one half of the duetBeBe and CeCeand  a member of the acclaimedWinans family--sings of  everlasting love and devotion, he is giving a shout out to the Big  Fella upstairs. But this CD works on a secular level as well. The  devotion here is muted--certainly far from the raise-the-roof  testifying associated with gospel music. Even a cover of "Jesus Children of America" (with its author,Stevie Wonder, on  board) lacks the original's grit, fire, and spirit. Most of this  pleasant but less-than-compelling CD sounds likeLuther  Vandross-lite, which isn't suprising since Vandross did many of the vocal  arrangements. But unlike Luther, who could infuse even the most maudlin  sentiment with some flair, BeBe, though a gifted singer, is not a  unique one. Much of this well-intentioned and well-crafted CD fades  into the background, making it suitable make-out music perhaps, but not  the sort of joyful noise the Lord had in mind.--Amy Linden