Delores “Mom” Winans

Almost anyone approaching their seventh decade of life would not only be allowed, but expected to slow down and take things easy. But Delores “Mom” Winans was born with a calling to sing, and neither that calling, nor the wondrous voice that accompanies it, have waned in all her years. At an age when many of her peers are content to lay back and let life drift by, Mom Winans has just released Hymns From My Heart, easily the most moving and endearing work of her long history in Gospel music.

“I’m still being called to sing,” says Mom, who recently turned a very young 68, “and I love all the old hymns. I haven’t recorded in a while, so CeCe suggested I do an album of some of my favorite hymns, and it all just seemed to fall into place.”

With producer Dana Reed adding a master’s touch to the classic repertoire, Mom soulfully and lovingly revisits hymns close to the hearts of Christians the world over. It’s easy to hear that each of the 12 selections of Hymns From My Heart is truly near and dear to Mom. In fact, she says narrowing the possibilities down to only a dozen was a considerable challenge.

“I drew up a long list of hymns I love and would want to record,” she recalls, “and Dana and I spent a couple of days, one-by-one, whittling it down to the final choices. It wasn’t easy!”

“Glory to His Name” exudes an irresistible, jamming-in-the-living-room groove, while “Blessed Assurance” finds a new home recast in a cool, smooth-jazz setting. Mom brings it all back to classic Sunday-morning church with “He’ll Understand and Say Well Done,” and shows her inimitable way with a torchy ballad on “It Took A Miracle.”

Mom says the medley of “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” and “Where He Leads Me,” featured on Hymns From My Heart was an impassioned duet with her husband, David “Pop” Winans, is an arrangement the couple has been performing together at live engagements for a number of years, and was a natural choice for the new album.