(Widget courtesy of Spotify.com.)
Title: The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album
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Main Artist: Whitney Houston
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Notable Collaborators: Georgia Mass Choir; Shirley Caesar; Cissy Houston; Bobby Brown; Faith Evans; Johnny Gill; Monica; Ralph Tresvant; Bobbi Kristina.
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Year of Release: 1996
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Genres: Gospel/ Soul/ R&B
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Notable Singles: "I Believe In You and Me"; "Step By Step"; "My Heart Is Calling."
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Accolades: Best-selling gospel album of all time; mostly positive reviews from critics.
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Memory:
I received this album as a cassette tape back in 1996 from my older sibling who was in college at the time. He sent me this as a gift and I fell in love with it after a few listens. I was in my Junior year of high school and once I put this in the family stereo back then, I was blown away by Whitney and her collaborators' heavenly and soulful vocals.
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Alongside this tape, my sibling also included a rosary and a rosary pouch for me for my spiritual journey. And I immediately became prayerful because at that time, I was a teenager and I was going through struggles that teens usually go through. I remember going back to church at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish carrying my rosary and its accompanying pouch, referring back to this album and its lyrical content and aesthetics. I honestly went through a spiritual revival at the time.
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And as a witness to the miraculous power of Jesus and Whitney here, I was eventually chosen and accepted by the Junior State of America program to attend summer school at Stanford University to learn the fundamentals of American Government and Speech Communication. This is why I hold this album in great esteem because it gave me the confidence, the knowledge, and the renewal in spirit back then to go through with this once in a lifetime project. Although I did not get the full-ride scholarship or the partial scholarship, my expenses were paid for by fundraising and the donation of a dear friend of mine who I eternally am indebted to. I don't know if he's still around but I pray that he is in a much better place right now.
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My favorite songs from this beautiful album are:
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- "Step by Step" because of its upbeat rhythm and empowering lyrics. I love that Whitney included it in this gospel album because it makes the whole album come alive and the listener attentive right from the beginning. (Not that I think the other songs are boring, they are just as alive due to Whitney's and the Georgia Mass Choir's vocals.)
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- "Hold On, Help Is On the Way" because as a teenager I was often depressed and would miss school due to my fears and tribulations but this song just literally commands me to STOP! or HOLD ON! that help is on the way, and that this help is my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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- "I Love the Lord" because it actually makes me think of myself running to Jesus to escape from this world's problems and tragedies. That I love my Lord and Savior for what He's done for me and my families and friends and the world.
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- "You Were Loved" because the message is so endearing and Biblical. You can have diamonds in your hands, have all the riches in the land, but without love, you really don't have a thing. I always get emotional when I hear those lyrics of this song's being sung by Whitney. As a Christian, these lines resonate so well with Jesus' teachings.
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- "Who Would Imagine a King" because of baby Jesus at Christmas time. I mean, there are accountants, there are writers, there are lawyers, there are engineers, but who would imagine that the baby in the manger (a lowly manger) is a King. Wow!
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- "The Lord Is My Shepherd" because it is Psalm 23 and that Psalm has been with me all my life. Just get a Bible or google Psalm 23 and the whole reading will uplift you, enlighten you, etc. Just so powerful!
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- "Joy to the World" because it is Whitney's own rendition of the classic Christmas tune. Her noteworthy deliverance of this song is right up there with her high voltage ballads: "I Will Always Love You"; "All the Man that I Need"; "The Greatest Love of All"; etc.
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And that's my fond memory of this religious gem. It is available for listening and streaming on Spotify and on YouTube for free or with a membership. Praise God, Praise Jesus, and Praise Music! Amen.
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