The Preacher’s Wife: Soundtrack (1996) – Album Review

Music Review • Listening to this soundtrack, I know this was one of Whitney’s favorite album recordings because when asked in interviews her favorite song, she would always mention a gospel song. This album took Whitney back to her true singing roots of the church with a sprinkle of R&B. If she was still here, a full live performance of this album would have fed my soul.

There are 15 amazing songs on this soundtrack but I will try & narrow it down to my top 3, pray for me. Between Whitney & the Georgia Mass Choir, this might be one of the hardest things I’ve had to do musically. Their Mervyn Warren rendition of “Joy to the World” has to be the greatest rendition of all time. I’ve only recently heard a choir sing this live & they were good but I’m sure it isn’t easy to sing. You need a REAL director & real singers in the choir who know their parts. As far as a lead, just let Whitney handle that for you, get the choir to sing over her because no one is touching Whitney’s vocals. 

My 2nd choice is a tie between the Richard Smallwood hymn “I Love the Lord” & “Who Would Imagine a King”. Vocally, “I Love the Lord” is top 5 of Whitney records. If you don’t feel anything when she sings this, you obviously don’t love the Lord. The Georgia Mass Choir did what they needed to do alongside her on every song. “Who Would Imagine A King” is such a lullaby & I love it! This song actually made Denzel cry when she sung it on set. According to Warren, he was happy this song was easy to produce because Whitney had the flu while recording. 

My final pick will have to be “Joy”. It was already a hit when the Georgia Mass Choir sung it under the direction of Kirk Franklin led by Dorothy Anderson. Whitney came in & put her own gospel flare on it & gave the church another version to sing. My honorable mention will be “He’s All Over Me” because it was one of my favorite songs to sing in the choir. That is one song that I don’t think has ever had a different version. It’s such a classic that it can’t be changed & I’m sure it would be hard to.

I wish we could have gotten a full gospel album from Whitney before she passed. I know this is the closest we will get to one but I can tell by listening to this album she really enjoyed recording it. It took her back to where it all began for her; the church. So put this on during the holidays & let it bless you & I hope everyone has a great holiday.