Jekalyn Carr’s “Power of Love”

Those who like to keep up with the gospel-soul crossover beat already know her name, and if you haven’t already experienced Jekalyn Carr’s music for yourself, this is definitely the season to do so. The singer’s new music video and single, titled “Power of Love,” are lighting it up with her fan base and transforming a mainstream kindling into an all-out blaze, and you don’t need to hear the track more than once to understand why. Carr is giving us some of her best work to date this year, and after a lifetime of cultivation is sounding like a truly one of a kind performer. 

There’s a lot of kick to the beat once we get into the second half of the song, and I think it was very important to give it this extra boost from behind the sound board for one big reason – it magnifies the value of the words here by leaps and bounds. Carr is already putting so much love into the lyrics in this track, but with the full potency of the band and background singers supporting her, she makes it difficult to dismiss “Power of Love” as just another gospel hit in a summer littered with great jams. 

More on Jekalyn Carr: https://iamjekalyncarr.com/

This single is rather simple from an instrumental standpoint, and as is the case with the visuals in the music video, the catharsis is sourced almost entirely from Jekalyn Carr herself. Her voice, and really her very presence, is such an explosive element to afford any release, but when the material is as stimulating and multilayered as her last couple of tracks have been, it’s even easier to understand why she’s getting the love from the press she is right now. She’s been groomed for this spot since childhood, and her hard work is paying off a lot in moments like this one. 

I’ve yet to review a release bearing this artist’s name that wasn’t supremely polished on the production end, and in this sense, “Power of Love” is no different than any other song in Carr’s discography. The detailed master mix isn’t overthought but it certainly doesn’t leave anything to our imagination in terms of defined tonality and precision rhythm. It’s impressive work all on its own, and perhaps finds a little extra sparkle from the divinity referenced in so much of the music this singer and songwriter has recorded thus far. 

A cosmetic and creative delight in every way that counts for something, Jekalyn Carr’s “Power of Love” is the kind of soulful power ballad that America needs this summer more than ever before. Carr hasn’t failed to impress me with her talents, and in 2020, she’s taking the reins over her creative direction in a way that was – by some accounts – long overdue. She’s on a roll at the moment, and with the kind of media exposure her last two singles have earned her, I don’t see her good fortune dissipating from existence anytime soon – on the contrary, quite the opposite indeed. 

Mindy McCall