Singing veteran Judy Jacobs has sung with a Who's Who of artists on a programmer's pick of ministry programs and conferences.

Now with her fifth solo disk, titled Above And Beyond, Jacobs works with Israel Houghton and crew, among others, for a sizzling album filled with plenty of new favorites.

Interpreting recent hits such as "We Speak To Nations" and "Only In Your Presence", as well as songs from Clint Brown ("You Are The Love of My Life") and Derrick Thomas ("Get Ready"), Jacobs powers her pipes in front of some potent background singers and bandwork (courtesy Israel Houghton, Aaron Lindsey, Lari Goss, Nashville String Machine and frequent brass).

The album was recorded at the Press...Push...Pursue Women's Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. One of the highlights is the duet with Juanita Bynum, as the two join together on the very popular Martha Munizzi praise and worship song "Because Of Who You Are". Toning the song down a notch, the two vocalists work off each other to synergize their praise, moving toward a higher intensity, with choir in tow, towards song end.

Other cuts to program into your CD player are the reflective beauty inherent in "Only In Your Presence", the contrastingly vibrant "Your Name Is Great" and the medley "Heal Our Land". Judy Jacobs is a powerful singer. Coupled with this set of powerful songs in a live setting, Above And Beyond is indeed that.