Power is the second studio album from American Christian pop group Raze. It was released on July 13, 1999, through ForeFront Records as the group's first studio album in the United States. The album was produced by Michael Scott Quinlan, Tedd T. and Zarc Porter. It was recorded and produced in both the US and United Kingdom and sees the group expanding their signature europop sound with added dance and R&B textures. Upon release, critics responded enthusiastically to the album's dance-pop appeal and the band's vocal performance, several noting UK's Worldwide Message Tribe's influence through Zarc Porter's production and songwriting.
Power produced two singles, "Place In My Heart" and "All Around the World", both of which achieved success on Christian airplay. "Place In My Heart" peaked at number 3 both on the United States Billboard Christian Airplay chart, and in the United Kingdom's Cross Rhythms Christian Airplay Weekly Top 10 chart; "All Around the World" also placed in single-digits, reaching number 6 on the former and number 3 on the latter. The album also included three songs that originally appeared on the group's UK-exclusive 1997 self-titled debut album, Raze. The US and worldwide release of these tracks featured small reworks; "Listen" was given the title "Can You Hear Me Now" while "Brighter Day" and "Shouldn't It Be Me" were released with updated production.
Critical reception Upon release, Power received a generally favorable reaction, with critics highlighting the album's sleek production and the group's performance capabilities. AllMusic's John Bush described Power as "an intriguing collection of surprisingly well-done pop music reminiscent of hi-NRG Euro-pop and the more mainstream side of dance music." Cross Rhythms praised the group's growth and genre-flexibility remarking "Raze now have a clear identity of their own, standing stylistically somewhere in-between TLC, Another Level and Basement Jaxx. This, their second full-length album, features a good variety of styles, grooves and tempos, all with strong arrangements, funky R&B/Dance programming and brilliant vocals and raps. This is everything you need from a Christian album" Jesus Freak Hideout's John DiBiase noted "traces of Out of Eden, World Wide Message Tribe, old dc Talk, and sometimes I'm unfortunately reminded of the Backstreet Boys." ultimately calling the album "not...among the best of the year, Power is one of the best of the summer."
Accolades Power received the award for Rap/Hip-hop/Dance Album of the Year at the 31st GMA Dove Awards on April 20, 2000. The following year, Power's second single, "All Around the World" was awarded the Rap/Hip-hop/Dance Song of the Year at the 32nd GMA Dove Awards on April 4, 2001.
Track listing
Production and personnel
C. Taylor Crothers – photography Cameron Dante – composer Carl Marsh – orchestra Damon Riley – digital editing Dan Brock – executive producer Eddie DeGarmo – executive producer Ja'Marc Davis – composer, guitar, programming Julian Kindred – composer, engineer Lynn Nichols – guitar Mark Pennells – composer Michael Scott Quinlan – producer Salvo – mixing Tasia Tjornhom – composer, vocals Tedd T. – composer, engineer, producer Zarc Porter – composer, engineer, producer, programming
Charts +Chart performance for PowerChart (2000)Peak positionUS Top Christian Albums (Billboard)11US Top Heatseekers (Billboard)15
Notes
"Always & Forever (BFF)" originally appeared on Raze's 1998 That's the Way (EP). The Power album version includes a seven-minute-long hidden song featuring a dance backing-track and spoken-word segment performed by the group.
References