As nearly everyone knows, Aaron Neville is a fixture on the pop soul scene. Now, with his second solo Gospel album for EMI Gospel in the space of two years, it is becoming apparent that his dedication to God’s music is no passing whim.

Neville’s first album was titled Devotion (see album review), and you could say that the meaning of that album title spills over into Believe.

Combining classics that never wear thin (“What A Friend We Have in Jesus”, “I Believe”) with new material that easily finds a home (“Steer Me Right”, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus”), Neville stays true to what has always worked for him.

That’s right, there’s nothing fancy here, and we would be sad if there was. It’s just good ‘ole singing, Neville style. As the epitome of a “one of a kind” singer, his floating falsetto glides over all thirteen songs on the project. Add some superb organic session work to that and the result is a gorgeous album.

Frequent brass spices selections, with the obvious example being the Hank Williams smash, “I Saw The Light”, featuring The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Horns also fill the catchy, rhythm-peppered “Steer Me Right” (written jointly by several of The Neville Brothers) which goes down as a star track too.

Neville digs into a few modern classics through the course of Believe. You’ll hear Edwin Hawkins’ “Oh Happy Day” sung with restrained power and those instantly-recognized Neville ad libs. You’ll also find Neville working with Bob Dylan collaborator and producer Barry Beckett on Dylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody”. The song has an intense, light-funk groove with punctuations of fat brass.

Sandtown Children’s Choir drops in to accompany Neville on his remake of the 60’s tune, “If I Had A Hammer”, which also features Jim Horn on an extended sax solo.

While Neville ends Believe with an beautiful, organ-graced rendition of “Amazing Grace”, perhaps it’s in his own song “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” that best sums up the purpose in his music: