Jaci Velasquez's 2008 release Love Out Loud found the worship singer eschewing the Brit-pop influence that served as the core of her previous album, Beauty Has Grace, in place of the more glossy, radio-friendly sound that brought the 32-year-old her greatest successes.
But for her newest full-length, Diamond (and her first for indie label Inpop), Velasquez attempts to split the difference between the two sides of her modern musical personality.
For the CCM lovers, there's straightforward fare like "Give Them Jesus" and the languid, piano-driven album closer "Good Morning Sunshine." And for those who like a little grit, the blasts of horn and swaggering beat of "Girl" and the soulful "Stay" give listeners plenty to chew on.
Combined, the result is a somewhat jarring listening experience, jumping from feather-light pop to blasting to the cheap seats drama rock.
In that respect, Diamond feels a little too self-conscious, too concerned about what the commercial prospects of the album would be rather than making a bold artistic statement.
There's no denying the power and effect of many of the songs here, but Velasquez would likely have much more impact if she were to go further out on a limb.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DiamondChad Cates, Jaci Velasquez, Tony Wood | Jaci Velasquez | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 2 | Give Them JesusJason Barton, Ronnie Freeman, Chris Lockwood, Barry Weeks | Jaci Velasquez | Play | 03:15 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 3 | The Sound of Your VoiceChad Cates, Michael Farren, Barry Weeks | Jaci Velasquez | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 4 | StayTony Lucido, Brad Lyons, Aaron Rice, Jaci Velasquez | Jaci Velasquez | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 5 | Fall for YouJohn Glover, Tony Lucido, Jaci Velasquez | Jaci Velasquez | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 6 | Con el Viento a Mi FavorJuan Carlos Rodriguez, Jaci Velasquez | Jaci Velasquez | Play | 04:38 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 7 | Tell Me AgainScott Davis, Tony Lucido, Jaci Velasquez | Jaci Velasquez | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 8 | GirlJohn Glover, Tony Lucido, Aaron Rice, Jaci Velasquez | Jaci Velasquez | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 24 MB |
| 9 | Trust in YouChris Bevins, Scott Davis, Tony Lucido, Craig Swift, Jaci Velasquez | Jaci Velasquez | Play | 03:16 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 10 | GuiltChris Bevins, Carl Cartee, Craig Swift, Jaci Velasquez | Jaci Velasquez | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 11 | Give Them Jesus (Master Mix) | Jaci Velasquez | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 24 MB |
| 12 | Good Morning Sushine | Jaci Velasquez | Play | 04:39 | 10 MB | 23 MB |
| 13 | I Will Rest You (Acoustic) | Jaci Velasquez | Play | 04:39 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 14 | God So Loved The World (Acoustic) | Jaci Velasquez | Play | 04:26 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 53 mins | 122 MB | |||||
| 53 mins | 362 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Angel | Strings |
| 2 | Jason Barton | Composer, Vocals (Background) |
| 3 | Chris Bevins | Composer, Engineer, Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Producer, String Arrangements, Synthesizer Bass |
| 4 | Justin Carpenter | Trombone |
| 5 | Carl Cartee | Composer |
| 6 | Chad Cates | Composer |
| 7 | Ben Cordonero | Drums |
| 8 | David Davidson | String Arrangements, Strings |
| 9 | Scott Davis | Composer |
| 10 | Eliot Torres | Percussion |
| 11 | Michael Farren | Composer |
| 12 | Ronnie Freeman | Composer |
| 13 | John Glover | Composer |
| 14 | Josh Gonzales | Bass |
| 15 | Nic Gonzales | Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals (Background) |
| 16 | Betsy Jones | Wardrobe |
| 17 | Garth Justice | Drums |
| 18 | Micah Kandros | Photography |
| 19 | Tommy Lee | Bass |
| 20 | Chris Lockwood | Composer |
| 21 | Tony Lucido | Composer |
| 22 | Brad Lyons | Composer |
| 23 | Jessica Mallum | Hair Stylist, Make-Up |
| 24 | Daniel McCarthy | Layout, Package Design |
| 25 | Andrew Mendelson | Mastering |
| 26 | Sean Moffitt | Mixing |
| 27 | Jill Paquette | Composer |
| 28 | Andrew Patton | A&R, Executive Producer |
| 29 | Mike Payne | Guitar, Guitar (Electric) |
| 30 | Aaron Rice | Composer |
| 31 | Ron Robinson | Guitar |
| 32 | Juan Carlos Rodriguez | Composer |
| 33 | Leif Shires | Trumpet |
| 34 | Craig Swift | Composer, Engineer, Horn Arrangements, Keyboards, Producer, Programming, Saxophone, String Arrangements, Synthesizer Bass, Vocals (Background) |
| 35 | Michelle Swift | Vocals (Background) |
| 36 | Jaci Velasquez | Composer, Primary Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 37 | Barry Weeks | Composer |
| 38 | Tony Wood | Composer |
| 39 | Steve Xavier | Mixing Assistant |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |