You can't hum segregation.  Music is supposed to transcend boundaries: it is supposed to bleach colors so that we are all resonating together in a single harmonized tune before God.  And music is to defy color-specific genres where American Americans are expected to sing Gospel while only Caucasian music is accompanied by a fiddle and steel and Asian music by an erhu and pipa.  With her brand new English-language solo debut "Made It Out Alive," Veronica Putrucci has ravaged such ignominious racial divides.  Here you will find her broaching into Tamela Mann-styled foot-stomping Gospel, suave Latin-style grooves and her signature big balladry Celine Dion-esque pop ballads.  If her face looks familiar, it's because Petrucci and her husband Angelo were once the Christian pop duo Angelo and Veronica who had recorded 5 English albums and 1 Spanish CD over the period of 1992 to 1999.  They were one of the very few Christian acts that have garnered the interest of pop tunesmith Diane Warren (Whitney Houston, Beyonce & Aerosmith) and AC crooner Michael Bolton.  Together Warren and Bolton have even contributed two songs to the duo's sophomore record, "Now That I've Found You" and "No Doubt About It." 

Ever since 2009, the Petruccis have been ordained as worship pastors at Life International Church in Huntsville, AL.  Also in 2009, the husband and wife team returned with their much anticipated first record in a decade "Still in Love." After which Veronica follows up with her debut solo Spanish record "Atrevete a Sonar" before the release of "Made It Out Alive."  You know you are in the presence of greatness with just a cursory glance at Petrucci's red carpeted list of guest artists: Shirley Murdock , John P. Kee, Canton Jones, Shirley Murdock and Mississippi Mass Choir.  Indeed Petrucci does sashay in with style with album opener "Worldwide Praise."  Bold, anthemic and bursting with a Kingdom-imbued vision of seeing people of all tribes, languages and cultures worshipping Jesus, Petrucci is vocally on fire.  Melodically, "Worldwide Praise" pulsates with a salsa groove calling to mind the melodic hooks of Jennifer Lopez's "Let's Get Loud."  Immediately the tempo decelerates with one of the album's most searching tracks "No Fear."  A polished thoughtfully crafted &B ballad that harkens back to the quiet storm triumph of Whitney Houston, "No Fear" is one of those faith-building songs that you can put on repeat when you are faced with life's storms.

One of the album's apexes is Petrucci's supple vocals: she has a soulful gravitas that drills her words right into our marrow.  Yet when she soars, she has that melisma that could get American Idol audiences to light up their telephone lines.  She is at her prime with the tender ballad "I Am Who I Am" where her vocals transport us to a higher plane of appreciation of what Christ has done for us.  And her Spanish version of Tamela Mann's "Take Me to the King" deserves standing ovations.  Yet, she is not afraid too to let loose on "Expecting Great Things."  Introduced by a sermon-like monologue by John P. Kee, Petrucci and Kees pull in textures of hip hop on this faith-inducing stomper.  While Petrucci brings in some jazzy piano before simmering to an ominous boil on the full-fledged Gospel title track "Made It Out Alive." 

One ministry that is close to Petrucci's heart is her desire to edify women of all strides.  Thus, in 2005 she pioneered the "A Voice for Woman" ministry.  And you can hear Petrucci's heart when she tackles a couple of femininely theme paeans:"Women of Faith" and "A Voice for Women."  On the former, she peddles through the pages of Scripture to illustrate how some of the women (Mary, Esther, Sarah and so forth) were mightily used by God simply because of their faith. Thus, it's more than just the race card that Petrucci junks.  Rather, on this record, all human divides be it gender, race and musical styles are all brought subject to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and this is reason enough for us to hum about.