Charles Moorer Jr.
Charles Moorer Jr. Music
If You Wait
Keeper of My Soul
Keeper Of My Soul
Though the title of Chuck’s new album If You Wait is a deeply spiritual reference to waiting on the Lord for his direction and mercies, fans of the multi-talented bassist, singer, songwriter and producer could easily apply it to the waiting being over at long last for a follow-up to his popular 2020 album Keeper of My Soul.
The vocal version of “If You Wait” gets off to the same start with Albright’s snazzy sax intro, followed by a beautiful and passionate duet between the silky voiced Chuck (whose bass pops in the background on occasion) and the crystal intonations of singer Priscilla Bailey.
Though their back-and-forth rapport in the verses is enticing, their gorgeous, soaring blended harmonies on the chorus are sheer perfection and really drive the point of the lyrical narrative home. The chorus contains the simple yet powerful message that “If you wait upon the Lord, he will renew your strength,” but there are some equally insightful nuggets of wisdom in the verses, including “Challenges in life will help us grow” and “He will do for your like no one else can do.” The vocal version includes a brief, crackling electric guitar solo by Nils.
The album’s first single for gospel radio is the uplifting mid-tempo ballad “Teach Them,” a thoughtful “message” song whose artful blend of silkiness and empowerment sounds like we might have heard had Luther Vandross devoted his life to gospel music. Opening with verses underscored and enhanced by Mike Parlett’s whimsical, angelic flute harmony, the first half of the song features Chuck’s beautiful lead vocals before he hands them over on the second verse to the even deeper vocal riches of gospel great Paul Porter, a three-decade long member of the family group The Christianaires who launched his solo career in 2008. Towards the end, the magical flute vibe returns and the two engage in some wild vocal modulations that repeat the song’s main mantra: “Teach them how to serve.” The song is about the mission of Christians to serve others because it’s what they are called to do, even if “you can expect the heart will get broken.” The main point is that if your heart is in the right place, the Lord will help you see it through.
Chuck loves the easy grooving, light funk and brass-fired “Yeshua Praise” so much that he almost named the album after it. Though it’s a straightforward vocal praise (to Yeshua/Jesus) song featuring Chuck’s always inviting vocals in front of gospel-choir flavored backing vocals by Clydene Jackson, it’s also a lively, classic styled urban jazz track featuring Johnny Britt’s feisty horn accents, Chuck’s bubbling, snappy bass solo action and old school soul jazz keyboard vibes by the legendary Jeff Lorber. One doesn’t have to be a Christian to be drawn into the spirit of the song, in which Chuck expresses astonishment that Jesus called his name, which inspires him now to “sing your praise ‘cause I’m not ashamed.”
Another standout track on If You Wait is “Some People Say,” a cool R&B/jazz meditation on people questioning God’s existence, followed by some solid and compelling reasons to believe; the song allows Chuck to showcase his falsetto a bit and features the elegant piano harmonies of Grammy nominated keyboardist Philippe Saisse. On “Don’t You Worry,” Chuck and Smooth P (Paul Otis) transfer the gospel groove into the hip-hop realm, complementing the gospel backing vocals with Chuck’s smooth lead vocal assurances and Smooth P’s (Paul Otis) intoxicating rap. The key line: “All you gotta do is hold on…hold on to your faith, yeah and be strong.” Chuck rounds out the album with the lush, graceful ballads “I’ll Be There” and “You Understand,” both of which emphasize God’s compassion and empathy for our life situations and his faithfulness to get us through.
Divine Direction
Divine Direction
On their second album, Keeper of My Soul, Charles Moorer & The Faithful Few continue their smooth, silky and infectious fusion of gospel and contemporary urban jazz, appealing equally to people of faith and secular audiences like very few religious based artists have ever done.
Smooth jazz programmers will light up the minute they hear the lush instrumental version of “Think of Your Soul,” which begins with a colorful exotic twist, with African tinged vocals, before powering into a funky, freewheeling dance between Chuck’s hard slapping bass and Grammy nominated sax superstar Najee’s dreamy, sensual soprano. The mightily grooving track backs its snappy, hypnotic
bass melody with soaring atmospheres shaded with lush sax harmony before getting into another snazzy bass/horn conversation that includes a few bars where the instruments play together. As the tune reaches its crescendo, the African chanting returns and Chuck lets loose even more.
“Adonai” opens with a blend of Mitchel Forman’s elegant jazzy piano, Nils’ jangling guitar and Michael Parlett’s whimsical flute before we’re graced with Chuck’s soothing inspirational lead vocal. Artfully fusing jazz, pop, soul and gospel, “Adonai’s” empowering message is that while we want to be in full control, we will find greater joys, soul power and peace of mind by surrendering our will to God and letting God be our guiding light. Wordless backing vocals by Clydene Jackson and Johnny Britt add elegance and texture to this stirring expression of faith.
The hypnotic opening bars of “Keeper of My Soul” remind us that while Chuck’s hypnotic soul vocals are always the focus of his gospel music, he’s a funky genius on bass, too. After the breezy intro continues with dreamy atmospheres inflected with Johnny Britt’s inimitable flugelhorn, Chuck as lead vocalist steps forward to deliver a tender musical love letter to God – reflecting on “every little thing you do for me,” God’s perfect timing and the divine’s role as his strength and refuge.
The emotional, infectious chorus emphasizes all that God has done and will do. The track also features more of Forman’s dynamic piano improvisations, lush horn harmonies and a fiery call and response section by Chuck and vocalist Clydene Jackson.
As the sole rap/hip-hop track on Keeper of My Soul, “The Reality Is” rolls as a bit of an outlier stylistically, but is on point and on message as far as making Christ the center of one’s life instead of all the temporary pleasures and dead ends that draw us in – like getting drunk, getting high and other activities that ultimately leave us feeling spiritually deprived. Though Chuck’s piccolo bass muses along for the ride, the real musical focus is on his late son, Chadwin Moorer’s cool rhymes and engaging flow, as well as the sparkling piano performance of Chuck’s late son Chadwin Moorer, accompanied by the infectious vocal accents of Paul Otis (Smooth P), picking up where he left off on the Divine Direction Project. Its vibe opens the project to a new and younger audience trying to find their way in the world.
The other tracks on the album include the vocal version of “Think of Your Soul,” with Chuck inviting us to make better choices in life as he and Najee amp up the bass and sax energy; the funky rocker “You Need Someone,” which showcases Chuck’s ample and fiery electric guitar skills; and “I’ll Trust,” an easy rolling tune featuring an ultimately soaring vocal about God leading us through trials and tribulations which features Chuck playing bass, lead guitar, piccolo bass, drums and percussion along with a beautiful and tender piano touch performed by Chuck’s personal piano player Carla Maxwell.
One of the first things to keep in mind when you’re listening to Charles Moorer & The Faithful Few and their debut album Divine Direction is their disclaimer that they’re “not a group of entertainers, but a ministry full of love for God and concerned about doing His will by spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through music.”
The message, delivered by the powerhouse, soulful vocals of Chuck and his other singers, is the focus – but that doesn’t mean that this isn’t some of the liveliest, funkiest gospel, coolest jazz and greatest songwriting you’ve ever heard from an independent group. The groove is anchored by Chuck himself on bass. The set kicks off a question: “Are You Ready?” The song has a deep grooving jazzy gospel vibe, with
soulful female vocals, trumpet and sax harmonies, some rockin’ electric guitar edges and Chuck’s supremely soulful lead vocals.
The title track “Divine Direction” points us to God via an easy flowing vocal urban jazz groove, with a smooth and silky sax taking the emotional harmony role behind Chuck’s silky lead vocals. While that song is about finding our way, the next two tracks are instrumental and vocal versions of a gospel/soul-jazz/laid back funk tune urging us to “Make A Change”.
While the vocal version features Charles on regular bass, he plays the fretless on the instrumental version which shows his deep Marcus Miller influences on his instrument. The next two tracks are two versions of the hands in the air old school jazz gospel jam “We Praise You”, with the second being a remix featuring a spirited rap vocal over soaring female vocals and Chuck’s lead voice. It’s a tune about how God can change us. It affirms, in wildly musical terms, “When Praises Go Up, blessings come down!”
The fifth track “Why Should I Fear” starts with a bang, a dramatic rock jazz intro with sax and electric guitar, which eases into an uplifting, slow simmering sax-enhanced vocal ballad. It’s gospel-jazz at its finest.