"Twinkie Clark's famous lyrics and chords (The Clark Sound) has made a profound and unforgettable stamp on Gospel Music- this album not only relives the excitement of that Clark Music, but it increases an even greater repertoire, as one of thee best Clark Sisters albums yet.
With the same magic found in previous albums, unique style and awesome music are found in BOTH new and older material in this new album. Every lyric has meaning, and is shared with a message in mind, and every lyric is highlighted with the famous voices of Jacky, Twinkie, Dorinda and Karen. Definitely worth every penny and more. The album should have been titled "Priceless"
I've heard every last Clark Album, and I must say this is one of thee greatest. Its worth going to the store and buying because of its musical quality and its spiritual importance.
This is a must have- Go to your nearest music providing store, and get "The Clark Sisters: Live- One Last Time""
-LaMarr (admin of The Clark Lounge" )
This Review I'm Posting WAS NOT WRITTEN BY ME! But by a reviewer from PRAIZEHYMNONLINE.com ,I personally agree with this review except for the comments about Twinkie.Please share your thoughts in a comment
As one of the premiere female groups in contemporary gospel music, the Clark Sisters have enjoyed a long lasting tenure that have led to a number of gold records, crossover hits and separate solo careers on some of the biggest labels in the country. It was only a few years ago, after all four of the active Clark Sisters (Twinkie Clark, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Karen Clark-Sheard and Jacky Clark-Chislom) recorded individual projects, that the rumor began to circulate about a potential reunion surfacing for the famed group. That reality came to pass in the midst of the Church of God In Christ AIM Convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX. Only this time, according to the press, this would be their final farewell together as the Clark Sisters.
The surviving souvenir of that once-in-a-lifetime event is captured on "Live - One Last Time"; a seventeen-track single disc featuring six new cuts and a number of quick revisits stretching across albums dating back to 1979. The highly-anticipated project, produced by Donald Lawrence, revisits the signature style of Lawrence work on "Finally Karen" (with Daniel Witherspoon on keyboards and added guest work from Asaph Ward) but makes certain and careful arrangements to keep their vocal signature in place. Assisting the legendary group are additional background vocalists Blanche McAllister, Pam Taylor, Kierra "KiKi" Sheard and Latrice Pace-Speights. Add in Lawrence's more recent trademark of incorporating big horn arrangements and listeners will certainly get a glimpse of how the album flows.
While most of their previous albums are very hard to locate and listeners may be curious to know the type of depth the revisited classics posses, much of the album's burden leans on the shoulders of the new selections. And things kick off with "Livin'" - a zesty, party anthem fit for the occasion. The song, penned by Lawrence and Loren McGhee, is set to the pulsating rhythms and "feel good" grooves of eighties' hits like Evelyn Champagne King's "I'm In Love" and Aretha Franklin's "Jump To It". While the drum programming gives the song a refreshing studio vibe and the horns from Lloyd Barry's crew add to the flavor, the song is strangely quenched towards the end with an abrupt, fancy finish. While there is an ounce of disappointment due to its unreached potential, the song is still gratifying and maybe the appropriate single to help push the project. Lawrence's final composition, "Instrument", bears the colorful majesty of songs such as "The Heavens Are Telling" and the power ballads of the Tri-City Singers. Each of the sisters take their stab at verses, while Blanche McAllister kicks off the driving vamp. "Looking To Get There (Heaven)", penned by Dorinda, is groove-based and captures unison and bountiful harmonic segments. Surprisingly, Karen contributes a song to the mix ("Blessed & Highly Favored"). Even though the song has no transcendence in its character, It is nicely developed - capturing vocal aerobic phrasing and rich lyrical definition.
Twinkie, the famed songwriter of the group, gives birth to two of the album's new cuts. "Something New" glistens with a healthy mix of contemporary jazz flavor and Latin spice. And the added ingredients of Joey Woolfalk's guitar and Daniel Witherspoon's brilliant keyboard embellishments add much volume and texture to the song's sweet melody. Moments of impromptu ad-libs, done in the Clark fashion, filter throughout the song's vamp. "You Heard My Cry" is warmly written and exposes Twinkie Clark's songwriting strengths - even now. It's done in typical Detroit gospel fashion with the long legato phrasing and several warm repetitions. Attached to the ending as a reprise is a surprising revisit of "Tried Him And I Know Him", originally recorded by Myrna Summers back in 1986.
Most of the new arrangements, which makes up the second half of the disc, stop short at two to three minutes long. That's good enough to dig up the memorable lines and moments of the classics. Songs like "Holy Will", "Name It Claim It" and "God Understands All", even though they appear to be too quick for serious fans, are nicely arranged and features beautiful blended harmonies to boot. "I've Got An Angel", featuring Jacky Clark on lead vocals, is done in its entirety and doesn't stop a second too soon or too late. The urban-funk of "My Redeemer Liveth" showcases Dorinda's jazzy riffing on lead and is juiced up with blazing horns and spunky bass work from Maurice Fitzgerald.
The lack of charisma and fresh ideas on the second half of the soundtrack may be the album's toughest criticism. "Pray For The U.S.A." is stretched out for eight minutes and features Twinkie's lead vocals - mostly squalling through ad-libs. While most gospel singers have religiously studied to reproduce the squall Twinkie gives, she seems weary in places on here and doesn't spill out the energy and the scripture-based ad-libs she's mostly known for. When the praise break enters into the picture, there's nothing that seriously explains the build-up of this moment except for Dorinda's 30-second exhortation and Twinkie's "P.U.S.H." phrase. "Jesus Is A Love Song" does almost the same thing. It runs for three minutes and only loops the one-line vamp from beginning to end. No sight of a verse anywhere. Those who are not familiar with the original will be troubled by this song since there's no explanation of how the song climaxes to this moment. Karen Clark-Sheard tries to explain the lyric with preachy exhortations, but leaves listeners hanging. And when "You Brought The Sunshine" closes out the disc, a sigh of relief should come but instead it ends with barely any of the earthy funk from the original 1983 version. The big horns and synths overshadow the rich funky gospel elements of the classic.
"Live - One Last Time" also suffers for its ambiguous edits; possibly a pattern expected from a live concert that showcased hours of flashback revisits. Over half of the songs didn't make this disc. And there are a few obvious exclusions such as "Jesus Forevermore", "Hallelujah", "Endow Me", "Is My Living In Vain?" or "Expect A Miracle". Some of the mild hits used on the final album may go under question. But the album has its share of strengths and is certain to please the Clark Sister's most steadfast fans. People who are beginners to the Clark Sisters' music need to search for the SOG re-releases or hunt for the vinyl versions.
A few studio cuts may have energized the album tremendously. We are pretty sure well-known producers, even in secular territory (Missy Elliot, Darkchild Jenkins, Tim & Bob, Warryn Campbell just to name a few) would have jumped the fence to record a few bonus cuts for this incredible group. It sure would have added heat to the final hours of the Clark Sisters' recording career. Donald Lawrence does what he can to strengthen this live set, but loses sight of the big picture. It's a good album, but it's a little too predictable. Why settle for good when you know Dorinda Clark-Cole, Karen Clark-Sheard, Twinkie Clark and Jacky Clark-Chislom are well able to pull off greater. With this being the final disc from this group, the Clark Sisters' fan base ought to demand an encore.
