Album Review: Sean Tillery & Changed – ‘The Live Experience’
Artist: Sean Tillery & Changed
Album: The Live Experience
Label: Indie
Street Date: 7/16/13
Genre: Live/Jazz/Worship/Soul
iPod Pick: Redeemed 
The music of Sean Tillery & Changed is grounded and lacks the whimsy and amateurish flair new comers are known to exhibit. The instruments aren’t hiding on this one as they have a big enough platform as the voices. Lovers of jazz and broadway musicals are in for a thrill.
‘Redeemed‘ though having lyrics such as “by the the blood of the lamb” would work well for a ballroom dance and would make a sister swing her hips at the closing tune.
‘Blessed Assurance’ is a treasure as the tenor singers do dip lows and high ups with their voices. Songs like ‘Whom Shall I Fear’ and A Clean Heart (which features the breathy beautiful voice of Jarmel Evans) would keep you wanting more of the worship experience.
One of the many strong handles this album has is the way scripture and ancient Christian lines are woven through the song given it a feel of all we lost from the early gospel days in not wanting to be sound clichéd. And at times they come off as beautiful chants for meditation (Whom Shall I Fear, Solid Rock, Blessed Assurance) And ah! The organ sound is too dope.
At the end, as the last song rolled into the air, I said to myself “what a thrill it will be to experience Sean Tillery and Changed live”. It’s intellectual music meet broadway and ‘gone-through-the-fire’ voices on Sean Tillery and Changed’s latest record.
Lovers of big voiced choirs such as the Brooklyn tabernacle choir and the jazz influenced sounds of Jill Scott, Ted and Sheri and India Arie have a new favorite.
