A guy with the moniker of insider at averyfineline.com is saying that a local, formerly acappella group from Georgia called ChoZen has been chosen (pun intended) to be the new Crystal River. If this is true, they will definitely have an interesting sound.

As far as insider’s comments on the group going under, I’m of the opinion that after Jeremy Lile left to join Brian Free & Assurance, they lost some of their punch. Yes, they were pretty good as a trio, but the double turnover (Jeremy Lile and baritone Jeff Snyder leaving) was a hard blow, I imagine. Now that they have disbanded, Jeremy is with BFA, tenor Dusty Barrett is with Soul’d Out, and former baritone Jeff Snyder is with Mike & Kelly Bowling. Lead Zack McGill and Chris Whitaker are no longer in groups.

From what I gather from insider’s comments, McGill may have actually sold the name to ChoZen. Whether that is the case or not, I don’t know, but I would be thrilled to see Zack take the lead position of the group and make it a quartet once again. Stay tuned on this story.

A comment at Averyfineline talking about Steve Hurst training Brian Free before he left Gold City made me think about how the quality of Free’s singing has improved tremendously.

If you listen to him during his GC days, his voice sounds very, very nasally. Not bad, just very nasally. Here’s an example, when he sings “In My Robe Of White” with GC:

Now, look at this recent clip of him singing the same song:

It’s very clear that his singing quality has improved greatly. Hurst’s training must have taught him to “open up” more, giving his voice a much less “singing-through-your-nose” effect. I have a feeling that if Free hadn’t received that training, Assurance would not sound half as good as they do today. “For God So Loved” would have probably sounded a lot less thrilling as well.

I knew there was a distinct difference in his voice between the two eras; I just thought it was his voice developing more. That might have helped, but Hurst’s training played a very big part in the awesome tenor voice of Brian Free.

Looks like it’s official. According to Keith Plott, comment #22 on Averyfineline’s blog post about it, Pepper’s officially off the road. He is going to college, and I wish him the best. May he either find his way back into BFA or another gospel group, because he’s an absolutely great pianist.

Hmm… maybe Roy Webb could fill in the vacant spot, or, should Mercy’s Mark disband (Heaven forbid!), Garry Jones could? Think of how far his musical genius and production skills would take Brian Free & Assurance!

On another note, Dallas Rogers has left the Dixie Echoes. God help them as they find a replacement…

Well, looks like some more revolving doors are opening up.

Or rather, just this one seems to be a revolving one, with SoGospelNews reporting that Christian Davis is no longer the bass vocalist for Mercy’s Mark. Poor Garry Jones just can’t seem to get a break. His group has probably seen more turnovers in their short time of existance than other groups see in years. Hmm… could this mean the return of my favorite “why did they leave the road?” bass, Chris West?

And another sad note, Brian Free & Assurance’s piano player, Scott McDowell, has left the group, according to a commenter on Averyfineline (which in turn has gotten his own blog post). That’s a rather surprising turn of events as well; I’ve always enjoyed watching ol’ Pepper play. He got into it, let me tell ya! The commenter says that BFA is currently scouting other groups, but I’d sorta like to see Andrew Ishee hit the road with these guys. He’d fit in rather well….

Be looking for updates on these stories. I’ll post as I get ‘em.

Buy Here

This new project is the follow-up to the group’s highly-acclaimed It’s So God project, and also the debut project of bass Jeremy Lile, formerly of Crystal River. I was anxious to hear it for both of those reasons.

While this project is no It’s So God, it’s definitely a worthy successor, defining the group’s Progressive direction more so than the project before it.

1. I Keep Looking Up- The album starts off with a bang with this track. Ricky Free’s percussion skills (arguably the best in SG right now) shine through and really help drive the song. To me, it sounds like the first track of It’s So God, but with each singer being featured. This song would be a great radio single.

2. I Believe God- Bill Shivers and Brian Free get the solos on this ballad, which would also do well on radio. It’s one of the most powerful songs on the project and has a Contemporary feel to it.

3. The Biggest Step- This song features baritone Derrick Selph, and has a modern country flavor. Clever wording on the chorus and a great message drive the point home on this track, telling the story of the Prodigal Son looking back on his decisions and deciding to go home.

4. For Now Gethsemane- Another ballad (which seems to be BFA’s forte, besides black-ish gospel). I got to see them do this one live, and it’s every bit as good on the CD.

5. Save Me A Seat- This track is the only one on the album to feature Jeremy Lile, and something tells me that this song was originally intended for bass Keith Plott before he left the group for a solo career. Not to say it’s not a good song (it’s another slow song), but it really doesn’t display Lile’s commanding bass voice quite as well as Crystal River songs like Mercy River do. However, Liles delivers it very well and this is another song to deliver to radio.

6. Praying Man- You don’t even need to have heard of BFA and you’ve probably heard this song already. This is the first radio single off this project, and I must say it’s decent. Nothing like, say, If It Takes A Valley, but clever wordplay and tight harmony are the theme of this track. This is also the song where Free hits his highest note of the project.

7. We Will Sing- Brian Free is featured on this, you guessed it, slow song. It’s a good song, sounds similar to something I’d hear from Phillip’s Craig & Dean, with a bass.

8. You’ve Got To Pray- Another Brian Free feature that reminds me of It’s Good And It’s God. This song sounds like the black gospel with a kick that BFA is famous for.

9. Real Faith- This title track is yet another slow song, and also makes for a good radio single. Brian’s tenor sticks out a little much on this song, though….

10. What Will You Choose- And the album closes with this slow one that has a great message and vocals.

To all those who wondered if Lile would improve BFA’s sound, this album answers with a “yes.” Lile is definitely more powerful and robust than former bass Keith Plott, whose solo career is much better musically. Not a knock against Plott, just my opinion.

A good project, but it’s clearly intended for the Free-Shivers-Selph-Plott line-up and most of the songs are slow ones. The next one will definitely be better.

From a Singing News SG Wire:

WASHINGTON, DC(Press Release) – A last-minute stop has been added to Brian Free & Assurance’s concert schedule a stop in the Nation’s Capital for a musical performance in XM Radio’s Performance Theater. It can be heard live on Friday morning, July 27th, beginning at 11 AM Eastern Time on enLighten XM Channel 34 or DirecTV Channel 828.

More information about XM Radio’s Southern Gospel enLighten 34 and its programming can be found at www.enLighten34.com.

On a happier note…

While I was gone, Brian Free & Assurance must have convinced Daywind Records to release their Real Faith project early, and so they did (2 months early)! Along with this release comes a redesigned BFA website! I’ve heard it’s good and hope to get it soon.

The realm of SG news isn’t really producing much this week, so I thought I’d tell yall about something of interest…

Many people have probably been wondering what Brian Free & Assurance’s next project will sound like. After all, their It’s So God project (IMO their best project to date) was on the Progressive side of the SG spectrum.

Well, I might have your answer:

As mentioned in the last post, I went to a BFA concert and they did some songs from the upcoming project, Real Faith. From the sound of things, it’s gonna lean to the Progressive direction.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that’s bad. I’ll listen to both the Traditional and Progressive SG. If you’ve been listening to any SG radio stations recently, then no doubt you’ve heard their new single (released last Monday) called “Prayin’ Man.” That, my friends, is a taste of what the new album will sound like, at least the upbeat, fast songs. True to BFA style, though, there are some “big ballads” on this project. Couldn’t tell ya the names of the songs, though, but I can tell ya that if they are half as good on the CD as they sound live, then this album will be a HIT.

Look for the project to be released to Christian bookstores and other music stores in September. The guys should also have it at NQC this year.

www.brianfreeandassurance.com (The pics are outdated, since they show the bass as Keith Plott, who left to start a solo career earlier this year. With the release of Real Faith, the website should be updated.)

Absolutely incredible. That is all I can say about the performance from these guys last nite, even though it was incredibly humid at this outdoor event and looked like it was gonna storm. The guys didn’t dress up (Brian Free stated that they “woulda passed out after the 3rd or 4th song” if they had), but that didn’t stop the message from getting out!

Ricky Free was with them for this date. I wonder if he’s still planning to come off the road, because Brian never mentioned anything about it…

I don’t remember most of the songs (it was a bunch) but let me give you a rough outline…
1. What A Lovely Name (great classic with some high tenor from Brian)
2. Deep Deep Sea (new bass Jeremy Lile tore this one up!)
3. In My Robe Of White (awesome rendition of the Gold City classic)
4. Only By The Blood (lead Bill Shivers did a great job on this slow song)
5. When The Lord Says Go (once again featured Shivers)
6. Prayin’ Man (great new song about Daniel and The Lions’ Den that features, you guessed it, Shivers. This will be the first single from their new project Real Faith. While the album isn’t due out until September, the single is going to radio today.)
7. Jesus Will Pick You Up with encore (Lile does this one great!)
*Intermission and Love Offering, offeratory by pianist Scott McDowell, a very underrated pianist IMO*
The guys proceeded to do many songs from the upcoming project. They all sounded great! Brian also mentioned that some people requested that he do For God So Loved, so he did it (this got a standing ovation. Man, what a song!) And if course, to finish the night, what Assurance concert would be complete without Long As I Got King Jesus!

Let me take a moment to comment on the sound. I thought that this was the best sound I’d heard at an outdoor event. The tracks, live instruments, and singers all blended together superbly. And Jeremy Lile is a great young bass that I look forward to hearing more from in the future!

As of May 24, 2007, they’re in the ranks of Legacy Five, Greater Vision, and Brian Free & Assurance. I think it’s a good move for the group and a good addition to the Daywind family, but I can’t help but think that Daywind is going in the direction of Progressive SG lately, what with signing Austin’s Bridge (Rascal Flatts for Christians, according to people like the guy at Averyfineline) and now this. Just that description is a giveaway that that is a Progressive group, and the latest Booth Brothers prject, though with another record company, was also Progressive. Now that they’re with Daywind, will the Booth Bros. return to the Traditional style? We can only wait for late 2007 to roll around, for that’s when the new project is expected.

Booth Brothers

Daywind Records