Which one is Mary and which one is Mary?

A quick note: the title is a question that I actually asked. Let's just say that my college major is rocket science.

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Mary.
Mary who?
Mary Mary.

Okay, that was probably not the best way to start this review.(Rocket science, remember?) However, it does serve as a lead-in to explain the unusual moniker of this group, since neither is actually named Mary.
Mary Mary is actually a duo comprised of two sisters, Tina and Erica Atkins. The name "Mary Mary" refers to two biblical Mary's, Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

The two have worked together a long time in the music business, gaining experience by working gospel musicals, singing backup for a variety of artists, and writing songs. That experience is paying off, producing the best gospel album of 2000.

Did you hear that? The absolute best gospel album of 2000 and certainly one of the top ten of all time. The sisters have done an excellent job, showing their well-developed musical talent by not only singing, but sharing writing credits for all but one of the songs on their wonderful debut album, Thankful.

Okay, so much for the boring informational part. Let's talk about the music.

The album starts with the title track, "Thankful", a funky gospel song that owes a lot of its appeal to the strangely syncopated, fade-in fade-out musical arrangement and it's simple, thank-you-God lyrics(which, by the way, is the lyrical trend for the whole album). It begins the album on an amazingly good note, playing like a auditory landscape. The beginning fades in as if the listener is being drawn into the scene, followed by an immediately strong vocal showing by one of the sisters(I can't tell which one, though, since they sound so much alike) in the foreground. Some bizarre electronic blips and bleeps echo in the distant background, while a funky bass thump and some keyboards compliment the vocals, adding motion and color to this sound picture. And just when you think the view's getting boring--some hip-hop "uh-oh's" that you have to hear to believe how well they work enrich the landscape even more.

And that's the weakest track on the album.

From there, the album transitions into a dance-party track, "I Sings", featuring a guest rap by everyone's favorite tubby gospel rapper, BBJ. No, I've never heard of him either, but he's been guesting on some of the hottest gospel tracks I've heard since I started to listen to this genre. This song is no exception, with a low, mischeivous, sneak-up-on-you kind of catchy melody, a few well written rap verses by the aforementioned BBJ, and a tried and true lyrical theme, singing about what God has done. Once again, when the repetition that seems to be so common in gospel music starts to wear on the nerves, an effect(this time some beat-box and words from BBJ) pops in to save the day.

One of the best things about this album is that it encompasses a lot of different musical vibes in seemingly haphazard order, yet still manages to transition from song to song very well. Case in point: the third and fourth songs on the album. "What A Friend" is a sweet gentle romp through harmonica accentuated pop-land(reminding me a little of Stevie Wonder), maintaining a breezy, light flow, nice to listen to, even better to lay back and absorb on a summer evening.
The song after that is the type of song that makes you want to jump up and dance, preferably in the streets or on a table. It's called "Shackles(Praise You)", a song about praising God in difficult times. This is the song that anyone who has heard anything by this duo knows about. They even performed it on the Soul Train(Lady Soul) awards. It is probably the best produced song on the album, containing some truly sweet vocals, an aggressive, clapping beat, and some creative mixing and scratching going on in the background. I'm listening to it now, so excuse me while I go outside and dance...

"Can't Give Up Now" ventures back into more traditional gospel territory, choir and all, with a 'persevere through hard times' message. Still, it's done better than anything other traditional gospel choirs have accomplished in the past two years, breaking boundaries set by the genre while keeping enough of the old-style gospel flavor to make it interested. "Be Happy" is yet another radical shift in style, this time to a mid-tempo light jazz tune that exudes calm and happiness, appropriately enough.

"Joy", "I Got It" and "Somebody" veer back toward the dance-funk side of things, "Joy" being the most standout track. "Joy" starts with some bizarre non-sequitur talking, but has one of the most interesting musical bridges I've ever heard, a combination of vocal acrobatics, a funky drum-pop beat, and some vocodered scat-infused spoken repetition of the chorus. Despite how weird that may seem written down, it sounds very good, showcasing the songwriting and arranging talents of the Atkinses in a dramatically innovative way.

"Good to Me" is a nostalgic praise song featuring pop-group Destiny's Child. Apparently, when they're not howling "Say My Name" or insisting that some scrub pay their bills, bills, bills, they sing gospel. At least they do it well. Lead singer Beyonce Knowles' voice is especially distinctive(sounding sweet and child-like) on this track, which is one part calypso, one part gospel, and one part Motown era R&B. The combination of Mary Mary's fuller gospel voices with Destiny's Child's lighter pop melodizing pulls the song together.

"One Minute" and "Still My Child" are the tearjerkers of the album, dealing with forgiveness and praying, respectively. Neither of the songs is especially sad, but the subjects and the emotional(yet still clear) vocals strike a chord. Both songs fall into that middle-of the road category between pop ballad and gospel ode, but both are set apart by the quality of the voices involved. "Still My Child" features(what is to me)an amazing change of range and singing style, but also an annoying 40-second instrumental reprise in the form of a separate track that really doesn't fit in well.

The last song, "Wade In the Water", is a revamped cover of the old gospel classic. It ends the album on a joyful note, helped along by a well-blended choir and the most adventurous vocalizing on the album.

A last note about Mary Mary: their music will make you smile. Even the more evocative songs have a sense of ultimate joy that will make you smile through your tears. In a genre where the mood tends to get gloomy at times(as in oh-Lord-trouble-don't-last-always-but-I'm-sure-
in-trouble-today types of songs), their effort comes as a breath of fresh air.