Although Darwin Hobbs is decidedly his own man worthy to carry his very own moniker in this, his latest album simply entitled, Worshipper.  Slated for release September 27^th, 2005, on EMI Gospel, this is a departure from his previous recordings, which consisted largely of laid back contemporary sounds.  Here, Hobbs steps out of his comfort zone and enters with us into a world that is rife with unrestricted praise.

This is a season of newness for the soulful crooner who has seen considerable success in his solo career since his debut album in Mercy (1999).  His two last releases entitled Vertical (2001) and Broken (2003) also did extremely well on the gospel marketplace and pleased both critics and fans alike.  However, in Worshipper the velvet-voiced Hobbs pulls out all the stops in an unadulterated style of praise that puts him in an altogether different league of ministers who, like him, have declared this year to be a season of praise.

Teaming up with praise and worship virtuosos Israel Houghton and Aaron Lindsey, Darwin Hobbs raises the genre to spectacular heights.   Featuring Steve and Da’dra Crawford from Anointed, Lord We Rejoice is an invigorating sonorous festival that in Hobbs’ own words is meant to be “… a very straightforward proclamation of the power in the name of the Lord… and our rejoicing in that power.  It’s very intentionally the opening song on the album.  That fundamental statement sets the tone for all that follows.”  A live band, complete with jamming horns, cadenced basslines, and wild percussions, flavors this unapologetic exclamation of the power of God. 

One can sense the artful hand of Israel Houghton in the first single to be released from the album.  Glorify Him is a dramatic mixture of jazz and the Latin beats, spicing up Darwin’s smooth tenor, while cushioned by the glorious sounds of the accompanying choir 

Drawing inspiration from the CCM style, Hobbs remakes Forever, a song originally made popular by Michael W. Smith.  With vocal inflections in high tenor, reminiscent of Donnie McClurkin, Darwin makes himself heard in his own soft-spoken eloquence as he intones the words of Psalms 103.  Come Let Us Sing / He Is Exalted has definite world-beat influences then transitions flawlessly into Twila Paris’ He Is Exalted followed by the words of Psalm 84 in the contemporary ballad Better Is One Day wherein Darwin’s smooth voice floats through the jazzy chords of the piano.

In an ode to classic praise hymns, Darwin recorded Richard Smallwood’s I Give You Praise adding to it a quiet storm quality that is decidedly his own with a melancholic symphonic arrangement well-suited to his caramel-like tones.  Hobbs also offers a contemporary take on Thomas Whitfield’s Precious Jesus with such reverence it renders one unaware of all else but the worship at hand.  He infuses the classic hymn in a medley with a rousing and exultant interpretation of Bless the Lord, Oh My Soul and Hallelu, crowning it all with The Lord Is Here, an original composition wherein he declares the presence of the Lord with humble words of adoration.

Darwin wouldn’t be true to himself without adding a twist of urban lyrics in the mix, so he teamed up with seasoned producer Tommy Simms for Your Grace and All Sides.  These urban-laced, R&B flavored songs are well-suited to Hobbs stylized tenor, all the while unabashedly proclaiming God’s grace, God’s love, and God’s mercy.  Darkchild Entertainment (Fred & Rodney Jerkins) produced the urban track Let Him In with boisterous, head-bopping charm accentuated by the synchronized beats of a drumline.

Some will say that Darwin Hobbs has reinvented himself, here, but let his own words set the record straight, “A huge part of my artistry arises from my life as a worshipper,” he says, “and that comes out wherever I’m singing, and hopefully in my life as a whole.  It’s more than what I do.  It’s who I am.”

“Music is a great tool to enhance a lifestyle of worship, but it in itself is not the crux of what worship is all about,” Hobbs says. “I want to record music that will act as a catalyst towards people developing intimacy with God.”  Therefore, Hobbs plans to support the release of Worshipper with something he calls Worship Intensive Weekends, where he’ll spend time with the music and arts departments of churches worldwide doing hands on teachings on the subject of Praise and Worship.  Also included will be a full music workshop and concert with attendees.  

Like the title of his album, Darwin clothes his voice in unpretentious simplicity, evoking the quiet presence of God.  It brings one to the conclusion that any comparisons to Luther Vandross must be set aside, maybe not entirely, but it must be recognized, that with a talent and a sound that are so purely personal, Darwin Hobbs has definitely come into his own, baring his soul in praise and declaring with a loud voice his true self.  Simply put, he is a Worshipper.