WOW Gospel 2009 - Various Artists

WOW Gospel has been a staple of the Gospel compilation circuit for so long now, it's easy to under appreciate its strength. With the 2009 version as strong as ever, fans from across the country, indeed, from across the world, will be flocking to this 2-disc set, which pulls the best of the best from across a diverse range of music labels.

Following its trend of honoring a particular city, WOW Gospel 2009 sets it sights on Washington DC, fittingly enough for this historic year. With fireworks over the image of the the CD US Capitol building on the cover art, the blazing display continues, in aural terms, on the inside, as the powerful force of Gospel music, both contemporary and traditional, fuels this extravaganza.

New artists from Jason Champion to the Sunday Best artists Crystal Aikin and Shari Addison are included together with established greats such as Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond, Marvin Sapp and Mary Mary.

The first disc focuses on the contemporary sound, with songs such as "Praise Him Now" from Kierra Sheard, "Striving" from Dave Hollister, and a powerful remake of Commissioned's "Running Back To You" from Heather Headley in the mix.

The traditional set (the second disc) includes the year's runaway hit, "Never Would Have Made It", from Marvin Sapp. Written jointly by Sapp and Matthew Brownie, the song was a chart topper all year long, winning such honors as the Stellar Award for "Song of the Year", and the "BMI Most Performed Gospel Song of the Year", along the way.

Byron Cage ("Royalty"), Regina Belle ("God Is Good"), Ricky Dillard ("The Light"), Dorinda Clark-Cole ("Take It Back") and others, including Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Maurette Brown Clark and The City of Refuge Sanctuary Choir, round out the traditional collection.

Not to overwhelm you, but when you've exhausted yourself with the 32-song audio assemblage, don't forget that the DVD equivalent is also available!