The Howard Lemon Singers - I Am Determined (Remastered) (2020) [Hi-Res]

The opening measures of the Howard Lemon Singers’ “I Am Determined” command sincerity, as well as attention. Delicate woodwinds lure in all who are able to hear before halting brass notes disarm the melody and the group begs, “Stop, look, listen to the voice of Jesus.” Unlike more famous versions of the song, sung before in a romantic fashion by the Stylistics and Diana Ross with Marvin Gaye, the Howard Lemon Singers sing in a state of alert, as if there is little time to settle your heart with Jesus.

They sing with the same urgency on “Let Him Come In” and “Glory, Glory Since I Laid My Burden Down,” where each member offers their own testimony. Aided by a blistering and steady rhythm, the song inspires the instinct to dance just as easily as it might one to rejoice. On an album by a group which specializes in covertly encroaching into the territories of funk and soul while delivering the good news of the Lord, the song is right at home.