Alvin Slaughter

Although Alvin Slaughter is a veteran praise and worship performer, even the best representatives of any particular musical discipline sometimes require artistic kicks in the pants now and again. Of course, this is not to suggest you go after seemingly complacent ones wearing heavy boots, so don’t get any ideas! Rather, injecting new blood into a musician’s world, if you will, can oftentimes bring fresh life to his/her music. And in Slaughter’s case, producer Aaron Lindsey is the newest booster shot to this man’s already healthy body of work. He’s the same producer — by the way — that has won Grammy Awards behind the boards with Israel & New Breed. Now he’s given Overcomer a soulful jolt of energy.

This is not to say Lindsey has wasted a slew of useless modern R&B bling on Slaughter, just to give him a new and improved contemporary sound. In fact, much of Overcomer has a wonderful, old school soul feel to it. From the very start, with “O Give Thanks”, those great Earth, Wind & Fire grooves come immediately into the listener’s senses. But “He Loved Me to The End” is even more effective. Over what sounds like tribal drumming, Slaughter sings an epic ode to God’s persistent love. The track clocks in at over seven minutes long and brings to mind Peter Gabriel’s “Biko”. Only in Slaughter’s hands, this sonic is used to make listeners give serious thought about the God he serves, rather than the sad fate of a South African poet.

It’s also hard to argue with the overall lyrical theme of Overcomer. Tracks like “We’re Destined to Win” and “Power In The Name Of Jesus” are fighting words — for the Christian, at least. Not to fight among themselves, of course, but they give strength and unity to believers – especially those who may be struggling.

Slaughter is not merely a singer of songs, but also a preacher of sorts. He alternates between vocalizing with that powerful voice of his, and speaking out exhortations with equal measures of boldness. Many times, these words of encouragement are quoted scripture. One of my favorite song titles is “1 Peter 5:10 (NIV)”, which speaks of how the Lord makes men and women strong. This track, which features Slaughter singing with an empathetic backing choir, begins with a small child reciting the verse. And I particularly love this song title because of the NIV part. I highly doubt it would lose any meaning if it were read, say, in King James. But Slaughter wanted all of us to know that the song was NIV inspired. How cool is that?

This man’s forte is power praise. He’s like a basketball player whose signature move is a rim-shaking, backboard-shattering slam dunk. In other words, these are songs that are meant to be played loud, and sung to at full volume. Nevertheless, the quiet “Tell Me Again (Lest I Forget)” recounts part of Abraham’s story (among tales of other Biblical figures) to focus listeners on being mindful about a God that always keeps His promises. How can we overcome difficult circumstances, Slaughter seems to suggest, unless we have a firm grip on the fact of God’s consistent care?

While Lindsey’s production hand helps make Overcomer a consistently pleasant listening experience, Slaughter’s latest work still pales in comparison to Israel & New Breed’s best. That act just has an undeniable knack for taking songs of praise, and putting them into catchy funk grooves. Slaughter’s work, on the other hand, is like one long journey from hurt to healing. And while that’s a good intention, it’s accomplished without a whole lot of pop sense — for lack of a better term. It sometimes also feels like an endless journey. As an exception, “I Will Not Be Afraid” is a great slice of praise funk that may remind you of Israel & New Breed. And had Overcomer had just a tad more of this groove-centricity going for it, Lindsey would have successfully transformed this old school artist into, perhaps, the latest member of the New Breed.

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