Audience of One" by Omar K. Mills ***** (5 stars) Imagine if Prince and the Time teamed up to make a Gospel record. And while they were in the studio, Will Smith, George Clinton and Lenny Kravitz dropped by. Righteous funk abounds on "Audience of One" by Omar K. Mills. Hot hooks are handed out as often as fried chicken at a family reunion. And don't let the "Gospel" label fool you. This disc has enough street cred for the any wearer of beats by Dr. Dre. Drawing from all the influences listed above and more, "Audience of One" (AofO) pulls off an impressive feat. It creates a record that is both grounded in classic 80s funk and yet still feels very fresh and relevant. Mills wastes no time getting down to business. Within the first five seconds of the first track, "So High" you have heard the first of many, many hooks to follow. And with the first words of the first verse, "Once upon a time in a land called Fantasy...," you wonder if "80s Prince" wrote this song. You remember "80s Prince," right? Back in the day when his Purple Majesty was at the top of his game. This record will definitely take you back. But as you listen, the very next track throws you an impressive curve. "One Minute Rhymes" is a funk/rap song that Will Smith will wish he had written. It is also the first glimpse of the surprising humor that is peppered throughout AofO. Omar raps, "I said this beat is so dope it's gonna make you wet your bed, or buy Depends wiff whatever dividends are remaining after you buy these tracks." Flowing smoothly into "Virtuous Woman," we hear The Time in their prime. You might even envision Jerome holding a mirror stage right. And it's at this moment that you begin to shake your head and wonder, "This was all done by ONE GUY?! Seriously?" The average solo artist tends to create a fairly monotonous record. Being just one person, there are only so many ideas, so many hooks, so many…anything, that one person can come up with. It usually takes a band or at least duo to be able to craft a disc with enough variety, unique styles, and memorable hooks, while still being able to keep an overall consistent feel. In fact, a disc with all of those qualities is a rare disc indeed, no matter who is creating it. But with AofO, Mills (who pulled a "Prince" by writing every lyric and rap, playing or programming every note on every instrument, singing every word and every harmony, and even engineering and mixing every track) has reached the level of Musical Mensa Membership. As the disc continues, we hear our first ballad, the very smooth and refreshing "I Worship You." With its subtle jazz influences, and the ability for this song to stick with you long after you have turned off the iPod, we begin to see the true diversity of the "skills of Mills." And just when you think that you have heard all that Mills has to offer, the dark, haunting and brooding track "Fly Away" slows the pace even more. But instead of feeling out of place on a funk record, this piano-based track actually may be the cornerstone of the project. And in the equivalent of the first track on the second side (remember cassettes and LPs), the bald Mills muses of "Picking Out My Afro." The results are as funny as you would think. When Mills' falsetto funks out the line "messing up your pillow," afro-sheen may actually spray out of your nose. This ready-for-radio mega-hit is probably the best track on the project. If not the "best,"" then the most worthy of being heard by the masses. "Pick it, Baby." "Is She Worthy of Your Eternity" is a story song about the perils of adultery. It owes a lot to Prince's "Sign of the Times," but the story plays out like a funky version Skynyrd's "Gimme Three Steps." Lyrics shine here. And with a project full of great lyrics, this song contains my favorite, "As I watched her dance and felt her body on me grind, first Son of Mary was the last thing on my mind." "Draw Me," a stirring flow that speaks to imminent death and the importance of one's witness being genuine, is a confession track that begs for God's redemption and cleansing. Imagine if King David wrote a Psalm and 80s Prince composed. Then you'd be close. "I Am the One" is a funky love song from Jesus. "Not the type of man who will take you out and not pay the bills, Baby. Yeah, Baby." The project ends with a very satisfying, head-bobbing "Ain't Nobody Else Like Jesus." "Who else can turn the water into wine, and then walk on it? Who else was sent here to die? Well, let me talk on it." And fittingly, the last word on the project is "Jesus." But even though this is unashamedly a Gospel record, after listening, you don't feel "preached to." Instead, Omar's sincerity and sense of humor mix with infectious hooks and energetic modern-retro funk to deliver a rewarding listening experience. With "Audience of One." Omar K. Mills has not only created a hook-laden funkfest. He has crafted a rare "album-listening" experience. In the day of individual song downloads, where most people fall in love with a song here and a song there, AofO is a flashback record that can actually be listened to in the old-fashioned, track-one-through-track-ten method. Remember those days when you would buy a record, tape or CD, pop it in, put on the headphones, open the lyrics and work your way through the entire record? Even days later, after a dozen or more listenings, you still found yourself going through the album from beginning to end. I have done that with "Audience of One" over twenty times at the time of this writing. I cannot remember the last record that I was able to do that with. Almost every track on this album could be a radio single. But as we know, the independent artist rarely reaches that realm. But one of the most rewarding experiences of being a musical Indiana Jones, digging for musical treasure among the unsigned, is that when you find a rare gem like "Audience of One," you can revel in that feeling of "ownership." It is YOUR disc; YOUR artist. And if the masses ever catch wind of it, you will be even more proud to know that YOU were there FIRST. I highly recommend "Audience of One." And I would take it one step further and recommend that you buy the whole project and listen to it in order. It has been crafted as a funky musical journey that is a both throwback and freshness all rolled into "One." By Dale Suffridge