Sista ‘O’ & D’vine Praize – Meditation
Sista ‘O’ & D’vine Praize – Meditation
Sista ‘O’ – AKA Pam Odom – always loved the sound of music, whether hip-hop, soul, jazz, or classical. She also took music seriously growing up; not only singing in the church choir, but mastering the piano and violin. Once she married, Sista ‘O’ took time to raise a family, but eventually decided to enter music ministry with The Paradise Missionary Baptist Church Choir (PMBCC) out of Sacramento, California. The choir’s CD – Get Up – was tagged by www.cdbaby.com as West Coast Gospel Music. I did my regular Google thing and could not pinpoint a solid definition of WCGM. However, tracking through “Get Up,” this was not your soulful contemporary gospel mass choir, such as The Love Fellowship Choir or The Potter’s House Choir, putting their praises down for Sunday morning services. Get Up was more aligned with eighties and nineties R&B vocal bands a la Jagged Edge and B2K; traces of smooth jazz; and a track one might swear is cloning Zapp’s talk box funk. Derek D.O.A Allen, a PBMC member who has an impressive resume (Lionel Ritchie, Smokie Norful, etc.) was the sole producer for church’s self-released 2005 project.
When Sista O decided to go solo on her debut, Meditation, she brought bits and pieces from PMBCC’s project while tossing in today’s raw R&B attitude, a makeover on an R&B classic, and retro soul. Sista O is assisted by PMBCC cohorts including Pastor Alonzo Morris; a tight vocal band – D’vine Praize – who have opened for Pastor John P. Kee and Marvin Sapp; and several producers.
Sometimes the theory behind multiple producers can be unfavorable, because their nuances may not always jive with the artist’s musical vision. Yet everyone involved, including another PBMC member Michael ‘Big Mike’ Jr., J. Prodigal, and Gregory ‘B-Love’ Reed, are all attuned to Sista O’s extensive vocal timbre and range.
Frankly, it was difficult to select cuts on Meditation, which is overall, an above average effort. In the meantime, here are a few tracks to ponder over. With much respect to The Gap Band, Sista ‘O’ injects new life on the lyrically tweaked “Outstanding.” “Givin It Up” could pass as a neo-soul equivalent of resounding praise and worship. The soothing title track climaxes with a brief saxophone solo; bordering on the Bobby Caldwell’s signature piece, “What You Won’t Do For Love.” Finally, there’s no doubt the two-stepping track – “Love” – gives love back to Luther Vandross’ “Never Too Much.” Almost all the music is referenced with scripture addresses – an absolute plus for those who truly appreciate the gospel of Jesus Christ.
No matter what coast she represents, hopefully Sista ‘O’ will continue to share her gifts from childhood to further the kingdom, especially in tandem with D’vine Praize’s compelling voices. Meditation – previously featured on CDBaby – is now enjoying a second go-round as of November 25th, 2008.
Sista ‘O’ and D’vine Praize’s website is www.sistao.com.
Peggy Oliver
The Urban Music Scene