Smokie Norful – Nothing Without You

By Rene Williams

EMI Gospel

Smokie Norful is undoubtedly one of the hottest gospel artists of the day. He became an instant sensation with his mega-hit I Need You Now. Receiving airplay on gospel and mainstream radio stations alike, the song catapulted this young minister to the title of Billboard’s #1 Best-selling Gospel Artist of 2003 and saw him racking up award after award for the phenomenal debut CD.

Well, Norful is back with his sophomore project, a new collection of songs entitled Nothing Without You. He opens the project with the bold cut, Power. Many will love the riveting song with the strong Earth, Wind & Fire influence and the captivating lyrics. Drawing from the classic '70s sound, Norful manages to merge the old with the new, all while giving praise to God. Darrel Petties makes a guest appearance on this awesome cut. Making sure to provide us with some Sunday morning church, cuts like Worthy and I Understand beckon the listener to sing along with hands lifted. Well-known songwriter and producer Percy Bady (The Winans, R. Kelly) contributes his songwriting talents – along with Norful – on Worthy and handles the pen alone on the breathtaking I Understand.

God Is Able, one of the most moving cuts on this project, showcases Norful at his best – with an emotive vocal delivery and simply a piano and strings. Written by Norful, it’s one of the songs you’ll find yourself singing when times are tough. This song is certainly a winner. Taking us back to the old-time church, Norful also includes the classics I Know The Lord Will Make A Way and Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus. Smokie seems to provide something for the young folks and grandma too. In The Middle is a song about God being with us in the midst of whatever situations come up in life. It’s a smooth track opening with a sweet acoustic guitar. Written by Norful and produced by Tommy Sims (Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant), it’s one of the many wonderful songs on this project.

Music great George Duke provides the CD's title track, a beautiful love song to the Lord. Sung with a full heart, Norful performs this improvisational cut flawlessly. Nothing Without You is definitely another standout cut. Other well-known producers tapped for this CD include gospel music producer brothers, Cedric and Victor Caldwell, Asaph Alex Ward and Myron Butler.

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