Trin-I-Tee 5:7 Albums (5)
'T57 Deluxe Edition'
Release Date 9/30/2008
Tracks 15
Label Universal
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Destiny's Child pays lip service to God on occasional tracks, but Adrian Anderson, Angel Taylor, and Chanelle Hayes are gospel's answer to that group and are more the real deal. They combine the same picture-perfect harmonies, with thumping soul grooves by a sea of top producers, but are focused on the Lord 24/7. Not that they're beyond wanting to be as commercial as possible -- the opening track is a remix of the final song, "Holla," featuring a slightly thicker groove and a rap interlude. There is certainly a fair amount of straightforward praise songs, including the seductive and danceworthy old-school soul-vibing "Dance Like Sunday." But what sets Trin-I-Tee 5:7 apart is the interesting lyrical approaches, which tackle themes beyond the usual repetitive worship lines listeners have all heard. The ballad "Lord" tackles the issues of people using God for bad purposes and people with the best intentions going astray. A title like "With a Kiss" would mean late-night seduction for Destiny's Child, but here is an acoustic guitar-driven reading of the relationship between Jesus and Judas, and the Betrayal. The mid-tempo advice-oriented tune "What He Wants" addresses the difficulties of romantic temptation and urges listeners to follow God rather than worry about pleasing people. There's also a gentle anthemic reading of "People Get Ready," an important song that deserves a new generation of listeners. Often, spoken word interludes seem pretentious, but here they show the happy spirit of the girls making the music. And that's what it's all about, isn't it? ~ Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Spiritual Love, the sophomore effort from urban gospel trio Trin-i-tee 5:7, again features a number of fine moments that equal the best of their debut; the juxtaposition of sexy, slinky, urban R&B grooves with non-secular subject matter still seems a bit odd -- form not matching up with content -- but Christian music fans will be happy to have a sound they enjoy with the messages they respect. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
While it may not be entirely successful, Trin-I-Tee 5:7's eponymous debut album is an admirable attempt to bring the cool, new jack R&B stylings of TLC to contemporary gospel. Since the sound is so sexy, it's a little strange to hear it in a sacred setting, but the tracks that do work on Trin-I-Tee 5:7 prove that this was a risk worth taking. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
