Heaven Help Us All
The Steeles are a Minneapolis quartet of two brothers (J.D. and Fred Steele) and two sisters (Jevetta Steele and Jearlyn Steele Battle) who got their start on gospel tours with Mahalia Jackson, the Staple Singers, and others, and made their reputation singing harmonies behind everyone from Kim Carnes to George Clinton. Fortunately, the Steeles stay closer to the gritty gospel-soul of the Staple Singers than to the lightweight pop-soul of the Winans onHeaven Help Us All. J.D. Steele wrote or co-wrote seven of the 10 cuts and produced or co-produced nine of them. He has a knack for coming up with songs like "Heart in My Hand," "Never Get Over You," and "I Don't Wanna Be Without U," which could be addressed either to God or a lover and have the melodic lilt and emotional thrust to work either way. The Prince contribution, "Well Done," is a funky sermon about doing rather than saying, and the title track is an a cappella version of Stevie Wonder's 1970 plea for divine help in troubled times. What really makes this album work, though, is the precision harmony singing, which is always pretty without ever becoming sappy.--Geoffrey Himes