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Group Name: Tara Jackson
Website: www.tarajacksononline.com
Album Title: “Tara Jackson”
Song Titles:
1. God’s Got A Word For You
2. Wonder Working Power
3. Except For Grace
4. Lift Up Your Eyes
5. Ask Of Me
6. He Knows My Name
7. Testify
8. In Christ Alone (My Hope Is Found)
9. Pray For America
10. Redeemer

Based out of Nashville, TN, Tara Jackson has been singing pretty much all of her life.  She is the owner of the Jackson Management Agency, a promotional agency for Southern Gospel groups.  Tara is also involved in The Bridge Ministry in Nashville.  As her website describes, “This ministry was founded in 2004 by Candy Christmas to reach out to the homeless and low-income population of Nashville and the greater metro area. At least twice a week, Tara faithfully sings with Candy and other local gospel artists for the Bridge Ministry.”

This self-titled album is Tara’s first.  It contains songs by such writers as Marty Funderburk, Rebecca Peck, and Jerry Kelso.  Some of the songs are familiar ones, and some will be new experiences for the listener.  I would describe it as Southern Gospel with a contemporary flair.  The album cover features a picture of Tara along with her name- clean and simple.  She was also kind enough to include the song lyrics inside the cover.

Now, let’s take a look at each of the songs on the album.

The album starts off with the medium-tempo “God’s Got A Word For You”.  Tara has a second soprano/alto range that is easy to listen to.  She also seems to have a sense for how to interpret songs.  I also like that the tempo speeds up just a bit for the last little bit of the song.  Many people will recognize Song #2, the up-tempo “Wonder Working Power”.  This song has been recently recorded by the Dills.  Tara’s rendition is very similar to their version, and I like both versions equally.  I did notice one small thing on this song, though.  When Tara sings the word “power” on the choruses, she tends to leave off the ending “r” sound.  This makes it sound like “pow”.  The tempo then slows down for another familiar song, “Except For Grace”.  This is a song that the Martins recorded several years back on their “Dream Big” album, and it’s always been one of my favorite Martins songs.  I was interested to hear it done by a soloist instead of a trio, and I must say that Tara does an excellent job here.  Again, with the background vocals, it sounds much like the Martins’ version, but Tara manages to put some of her personality into it.

The fourth song, “Lift Up Your Eyes”, has a slight hard-driving sound to it that immediately caught my attention.  This gives Tara a chance to show off the “power side” of her vocals, and this is where the richness of her voice begins to really become noticeable.  This is immediately followed by a slower ballad entitled “Ask Of Me”.  This song has one of the strongest messages of any on the album, in my opinion.  Tara then dips into the Praise & Worship realm for her next offering.  “He Knows My Name” is a short song that will be familiar to many.  I really like the string accompaniment that Tara uses for this song- it fits perfectly. 

Song #7, “Testify”, speeds the tempo back up.  This is a toe-tapper that I think would be a good eventual radio release.  It’s very fun to listen to, and I can only imagine how much fun it is for Tara to sing.  The eighth song is a medium-tempo number entitled “In Christ Alone (My Hope Is Found)”.  The first time I heard this song, it was arranged as a slow, light, worshipful song.  Tara’s arrangement is very different, incorporating a harder  and slightly faster tempo.  I must admit that I like Tara’s arrangement of this song better than the one I originally heard.  Tara then moves into patriotic mode for the next song, a power ballad called “Pray For America”. 

Tara draws from the contemporary Christian realm for her closing song, the Nicole C. Mullen classic “Redeemer”.  This slow song utilizes only strings in the accompaniment, and I think it’s a good closing song for this album. 

For a debut album, Tara has done an excellent job.  I liked the song selection, and Tara’s voice is clear and enjoyable to listen to.  She knows her range and stays within it, and she has the ability to put feeling and personality into every song.  If you don’t already own this album, then I would suggest that you get it.  You will definitely be blessed.  Overall, I would give this album a 9 1/2 out of a possible 10 microphones!

Favorites: “Except For Grace”, “Testify”, and “Pray For America”