Mary Alessi (More) - Reviews

Mary Alessi
More

Here's a case where, seeing —or hearing — double is a good thing.

As Music Director and Worship Leader at Metro Life Worship Center in Miami, and serving alongside her husband, Mary Alessi has music in her blood. She's also the twin sister of 2005 Stellar Award winner (New Artist of the Year) and chart-topper, Martha Munizzi (see album review).

On her latest disc, More, recorded live at the Covenant Church in Dallas, Alessi flows in the much the same style as her sister, laying down intense worship-filled vocals over sizzling band grooves. Producer Aaron Lindsey along with several members of Israel Houghton's New Breed collective lend their support to the proceedings.

The album kicks off with a rousing, brassy cover of Israel Houghton's "Again I Say Rejoice" before transitioning into Alessi's own composition (co-written with Lindsey), the danceable, syncopated "Praise The Lord". She shows herself to be gifted with the pen as well as with her vocal cords.

Things then steam up even more with cuts such as the salsified "With My Whole Heart" and "You've Made Me Glad", featuing Israel Houghton on guest vocals, with the echoing lines of the Covenant Choir behind him.

On the title track, "More", which Alessi wrote with her sister, she begins quietly, intoning her prayer, asking for "more of You, nothing less will do, Lord we ask of you, give us more". The song slowly builds, climaxing in a burst of instrumental, guitar-driven fire and vocal glory, before Alessi takes it back down again, cementing the lyrical elements of the song with her ad lib expression. The song then melts into the tender praise offering, "Worship You With All My Heart".

Mary Alessi

Also flowing in a more mellowed tip is "Filled With Your Spirit" and "So We Lift" (with Lindsey's rippling piano moving in parallel with Alessi's vocal line). On "Pray", Alessi transparently opens up her heart to show her compassion for suffering children, and in so doing, provides a magnficent blessing and comfort to all who will listen.

Rounding out the disc with an explosion of energy, Alessi presents a trio of 'breakthrough' songs, sandwiching her own composition, "New Day Dawning" in between Houghton's "Another Breakthrough" and "Lord Of the Breakthrough", before finishing the project with the percolating Latin drive of "In Him I Live".

More from Mary Alessi is a worship experience, no doubt about that, and with the degree of musical and lyrical excellence contained on the disc, it's sure to stick in your music player for a long, long time.

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Producer: Aaron Lindsey album release date: December 2004
Miami Life Sounds

— reviewed by Stan North —