BeBe Winans Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
BeBe Winans' solo career has been a struggle to establish himself separate from his musical family, and Dream, his fifth solo album, chronicles some of the recent difficulties. Winans has drifted from Atlantic Records, which released his self-titled solo debut in 1997, to Motown, which handled Love & Freedom (2000) and the concert set BeBe Live and Up Close (2002), and on to the custom label Hidden Beach (distributed by the Epic division of Sony) for the holiday collection My Christmas Prayer (2003) and now this album, technically issued under Hidden Beach's new gospel subsidiary, Still Waters, in conjunction with Winans' own TMG (The Movement Group) label. (Whew!) All of which is to say that, really, this is Winans' first "non-specialty recording" (as Hidden Beach label head Steve McKeever puts it) in five years, spanning a divorce and what McKeever refers to as "a much-needed sojourn." Divorces are, of course, a dicey matter in the gospel world, and perhaps it's not surprising that Winans has a little less to say than usual on the subject of religion. In his husky tenor (reminiscent of Teddy Pendergrass at his most unctuous), Winans is often apologetic, notably in "Love Me Anyway," in which he regrets that "my indiscretions have caused you much pain." Clearly intended as the album's centerpiece is "I Have a Dream," Winans' musical setting of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous speech from the 1963 March on Washington, which employs excerpts from the speech itself along with Winans' earnest singing of some of its passages. The result isn't as embarrassing as might have been feared, but not nearly as powerful, say, as Bob Marley's "War," drawn from one of Haile Selassie's speeches. Dream actually works better in its less ambitious moments, such as a good cover of Amy Grant's "So Glad." It probably isn't "the album of my life" that Winans claims it to be, but it does find the artist working through his personal problems in an artistic context and suggests he has more good music ahead of him. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
BeBe Winans' Christmas album is, not surprisingly, a very reverent collection. The gospel singer has turned largely to traditional and religious material, which he performs effectively in his passionate style. The title song is an original ballad that is given great play on the album, boasting two different versions, one a duet with Rob Thomas of matchbox twenty, the other with Winans' mother Delores Winans. The only thing that mars the album is Winans' lack of reverence for songwriters. It is a minor irritation that he finds it necessary to substitute �Lord" for �fates" in the opening song, �Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," but his unacknowledged rewrite of George Harrison's �My Sweet Lord," which retains not much more than the chorus (and certainly not the �Hare Krishna" chant!), is a travesty. Winans arrogantly may feel that his faith justifies these transgressions (and, to be fair, Harrison himself was not above altering other people's lyrics on occasion to make them more religious), but, like all interpretive singers, he should be respectful of what songwriters actually wrote. The cardinal rule is, if you have a problem with the lyrics, just don't sing the song. As a songwriter himself, he no doubt would be scandalized if some singer changed his lyrics to alter the meaning of one of his songs, and he should treat the songs of others as he would wish his own to be treated. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'BeBe Live and Up Close'
Release Date 3/5/2002
Tracks 13
Label Universal
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Massively popular black gospel vocalist BeBe Winans followed up his first two solo albums with a live album, BeBe Live and Up Close, released in 2002. The album features several songs that don't appear on Winans' solo albums, including the album-opening "Do You Know Him" as well as other songs like "I Believe," "Love Thing," and "Humpty Dumpty." These songs make BeBe Live and Up Close somewhat more than just another live album. While most live albums tend to have a function similar to best-ofs, this one features few of Winans' best-known songs in favor of previously unreleased songs. Therefore, ardent fans should consider treating BeBe Live and Up Close just like another studio album, since many of the featured songs are exclusive to this album. However, there are some of Winans' more popular songs here, such as the 15-minute medley featuring Debra Winans Lowe, BeBe's sister. The medley includes four songs from BeBe's days with CeCe: "Heaven," "Meantime," "Celebrate New Life," and "Lost Without You." In addition, BeBe Live and Up Close ends climactically when Stephanie Mills joins Winans for a performance of "Born for This." Overall, this isn't the career-spanning best-of live performance that you might expect from someone with as much success as Winans, but rather it's a mixed bag, featuring new songs as well as old songs but not too many popular songs, leaving room instead for the less familiar material. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Gospel vocalist BeBe Winans follows up 1997's Bebe Winans with a decent second release, entitled Love and Freedom. He aims to discover his own musical perfection while trying to ignore the massive success of his gospel singing family. Love and Freedom is spirited with urban loops and heavy soul, but BeBe lacks spark. Known for his incredible collaborations with sister CeCe Winans, Bebe loses such fire found in his previous material. He does, however, bring things to the helm by working with some of R&B's most notable stars. "Jesus Children of America" features songwriting skills of Stevie Wonder, and "Everyday" showcases the vocalic beauty of fellow gospel starlet Stephanie Mills. This may carry the overall material, but noticeably, BeBe is still yearning to break out his well-known, passionate skills. Let's hope it comes sooner than later. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
BeBe Winans' long-awaited eponymous solo debut isn't the powerhouse it could have been, but it's nevertheless a first-class set of contemporary soul and gospel. Working with a top-notch set of professional producers -- including Rhett Lawrence, Little Louie Vega, Arif Mardin, Manuel Seal and Keith Andes -- Winans has created a well-crafted set of smooth urban soul and gospel, one that keeps his remarkable, supple vocals at center stage. The main problem with the record is its inconsistent material -- Winans always sounds good, but he often sounds better than what the songs deserve. Still, the very best moments -- the single "In Harm's Way," the Eternal duet "I Wanna Be the Only One" and a stirring cover of "Oh Happy Day" -- make the album a winning solo debut from one of the best contemporary gospel singers of the '90s. ~ Leo Stanley, All Music Guide
