The USA may be founded on the principle of separation of church and state, but when Christian music artists attempt to cross over to the mainstream, it's hard to keep the lines from blurring. Chances are pretty good that when BeBe Winans--one half of the duet BeBe and CeCe and a member of the acclaimed Winans family--sings of everlasting love and devotion, he is giving a shout out to the Big Fella upstairs. But this CD works on a secular level as well. The devotion here is muted--certainly far from the raise-the-roof testifying associated with gospel music. Even a cover of "Jesus Children of America" (with its author, Stevie Wonder, on board) lacks the original's grit, fire, and spirit. Most of this pleasant but less-than-compelling CD sounds like Luther Vandross-lite, which isn't suprising since Vandross did many of the vocal arrangements. But unlike Luther, who could infuse even the most maudlin sentiment with some flair, BeBe, though a gifted singer, is not a unique one. Much of this well-intentioned and well-crafted CD fades into the background, making it suitable make-out music perhaps, but not the sort of joyful noise the Lord had in mind. --Amy Linden