SMOKIE NORFUL
"I know this is not Sunday morning," warns Norful as he introduces the song, "but I sometimes do this at my church." With the poise of a preacher, he goes through a laundry list of reasons why God is to be trusted at all times, only to conclude with resolve, "God is going to release us from our spirit of weariness."
Once the audience has been ushered into an atmosphere of praise, Norful lays on thick the Sunday-morning spirit in the arresting first single, "Justified," a track that serves as a primer for the type of artist he is: a pastor and a singer .
For the swaying, neo-traditional "My Choice," Norful dons his minister's hat once again—preaching in song as if this were a church service at Victory Cathedral. By the time Norful reaches the testimonial "Don't Quit" and the hand-clapper "I've Been Delivered," Smokie Norful Live has asserted itself, both aurally and visually.
Of course, those who prefer Norful's tender, balladeer side will relish the prayerful "Dear God," a face-to-face with the Lord where the singer sits at the piano and looks back on his life, only to express gratitude to Him for his steadfast faithfulness. It's a show-stopping moment, highly reminiscent of previous Norful favorites "Run Til I Finish," "God Is Able," and the career-defining "I Need You Now."
Another cornerstone of the project is Norful's knockout cover of Lionel Richie and the Commodores' "Jesus Is Love," a lovely duet with R&B songstress and label mate Heather Headley, who also included the song in her own EMI Gospel debut, Audience of One. "She's a sweetheart," Norful says of the Tony-winning Broadway star. "I love her spirit and her personality."
Norful has no magic recipe for the energy, synergy, and prodigy evinced on the sights and sounds of Smokie Norful Live, other than the fact that he's simply doing what the Lord has meant for him to do all along.
"I'm really just a church kid," he says. "I have other components to add to the flavoring, but the bottom line is, I'm just a church kid who loves gospel music, loves God, and loves the Word of God. Where I have a natural tendency to excel is in a live setting. It's just a comfort zone that I've fallen into."
It's a delicate balance, one Norful knows how to strike and maintain. It's a new season in his life, a full plate that includes being the priest of his own home, pastoring a two-site congregation in Chicago, Illinois, and his evolving career as a recording artist and record label president.
"I have a good team around me, beginning with my wife," Norful continues. "She brings stability. She brings balance. She makes sure that the home is secure, that my children are covered, that I'm covered. If I run out the door and I run back in realizing that I forgot something, she's already standing at the door with it. That's symbolic of the whole dynamic between us."
