unofficial import on colored vinyl - Kanye West’s executive-produced gospel album is the most realized music to come from this era of his career. The production and the choir’s dynamic power creates an almost hallucinatory effect. One of the most radical elements of the album is what’s absent: Kanye’s voice. Instead, he’s assembled a massive choir to channel his Christian message in a joyous, all-consuming wave of sound. Although there are no samples here, per se, it’s as if Kanye is using the choir as a living, breathing sampler. He’s still selecting old songs, whether they’re traditional hymns or late-’90s R&B hits, and recontextualizing them. The voices almost seem to warp in real-time as though Kanye were at the sampler tweaking speed and pitch. The effect can be hallucinatory, like on the opening track, “Count Your Blessings”—a rendition of Rev. Timothy Wright’s original—when the choir climbs scales that reach notes so high it makes you feel like you’re staring directly into the sun.
| A1 | Count Your Blessings |
| A2 | Excellent |
| A3 | Revelations 19:1 |
| A4 | Rain |
| A5 | Balm in Gilead |
| B1 | Father Stretch |
| B2 | Follow Me - Faith |
| B3 | Ultralight Beam |
| B4 | Lift Up Your Voices |
| C1 | More Than Anything |
| C2 | Weak |
| C3 | That's How The Good Lord Works |
| C4 | Sunshine |
| C5 | Back To Life |
| D1 | Souls Anchored |
| D2 | Sweet Grace |
| D3 | Paradise |
| D4 | Satan, We're Gonna Tear Your Kingdom Down |
| D5 | Total Praise |
