Transcending All

11/03/1999 8:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
David Nathan

She's been a mainstay in the gospel world for over a decade, and her first album for a major label is beginning to garner recognition among mainstream record buyers who have embraced such gospel stars as Kirk Franklin and CeCe Winans. With the release of Mountain High, Valley Low on Elektra, statuesque songstress Yolanda Adams is consciously broadening her reach by working with producers like Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Keith Thomas.

"The greatest difference in being with a major company is that we have the marketing dollars to promote my music, which hasn't really changed from my last studio album, More Than A Melody," Yolanda says. "Now I get a chance to do what I wanted to do and know that people can find my album everywhere!"

Since her 1987 debut, Just As I Am, Yolanda has released four other albums and received five Grammy nominations, six Stellar Awards, two Dove Awards, and a Soul Train Lady Of Soul Award. Inspiration and faith have been the themes for all of the material she's recorded, but on Mountain High tracks like "Time To Change" and "Yeah" (both produced by Warryn "Smiley" Campbell, known for his work with Total, Dru Hill, and Shanice, among others) Yolanda sounds totally at home dealing with such subjects as marital infidelity, self-esteem, and commitment in a highly contemporary musical setting. Other prime examples of the kind of powerhouse delivery and emotional intensity that has made the Houston-born singer one of the most successful female vocalists in contemporary gospel music are "He'll Arrive (Coming Back)," which features a guest appearance by Kelly Price, and "In The Midst Of It All," produced by Kevin Bond, whose extensive credits include production with Edwin Hawkins and Kirk Franklin.

"When I signed with Elektra, the head of the company, Sylvia Rhone, asked me for a list of the people I've always dreamed of working with, and that's what I got to do. All of the producers were awesome, and I guess they knew what to expect from me vocally, what I was capable of." Yolanda is also thankful that artists like Franklin have helped broaden the scope of gospel music. "[They] have done very well in paving the way for mainstream acceptance for gospel music," she says, "for us to get into bigger venues. I couldn't have done without him and others like CeCe Winans."

It's because of the public's recent response to gospel artists that Yolanda is unconcerned about how diehard gospel fans will react to her move to a major secular label. "People in the gospel field know that I've always been a contemporary, not a traditional, singer," she explains. "The only thing is that now they get to see me on camera more! I'm very proud of all I've done musically since I made my first album, and my career has been slow but sure. I'd rather do things that way than move too quickly, and now, with the new record, I feel I have the capability to transcend all the boundaries--musical, racial--because the music itself is very uplifting."