In the past couple of weeks, several of us Southern Gospel bloggers (Daniel Mount, Brian Crout, Adam Edwards, Wes Burke, Brandon Coomer, David Bruce Murray, Steve Eaton, and me) put our heads together and gave our thoughts on the new Kingdom Heirs project. Here’s the results. Overall, our thoughts on the CD were very positive! (more…)
Rating: 5 stars
Producers: Lari Goss and Gerald Wolfe
Label: Greater Vision Music
Website: www.greatervisionmusic.com
Track list: Everything Christmas (Overture); God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen; Do You Hear What I Hear?; A Cradle In Bethlehem; It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year; O Holy Night; Sleigh Ride; I Heard The Bells; Grace Has A Face; There’s No Place Like Home For The Holidays/I’ll Be Home For Christmas
I’m a pretty hard sell on Christmas music.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not the type that rages against the fact that we are bombarded with the stuff on the radio starting shortly after Thanksgiving and lasting till what seems like an eternity when Christmas rolls around. I will say, however, that I get bored with it really easily. After all, when all of your major radio stations in your car are blaring it, you tend to just go on autopilot and tune it out.
The same goes for Southern Gospel Christmas music. Every year, you’ll have at least a couple groups come out with a brand-new Christmas project, and most of them fail to stand out. In fact, they are downright lackluster. Needless to say, I was kind of wary about this particular project for that reason, but when I saw Lari Goss’ name in the credits, I knew that it couldn’t be that bad.
I’m glad to say my instinct was correct; the long-time team of Goss & Greater Vision have churned out a Christmas album that features classy arrangements of both Christmas classics and more recent songs. Most of the songs incorporate background vocals by the Voices of Lee, which further enhances the big sound of the album. The full-orchestra sound that Goss is famous for incorporating is in full swing here, even kicking off the project with an overture of music that includes “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year,” “Unspeakable Joy,” “Joy To The World,” “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “Hark The Herald Angels Sing,” “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “The First Noel,” “Gloria In Excelsis Deo,” and “Angels From The Realms of Glory.”
The first vocal performance of the project comes in the form of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” which features an arrangement not unlike the one The Cathedrals did on 1985′s A Cathedral Christmas A Cappella, although this one does have instrumentation. The trio takes a quartet arrangement and very ably makes it their own. The return of Chris Allman on tenor is made very prominent throughout the piece, and really kicks up on the last two verses. Speaking of Allman, if one has been under a rock for the past year, he need only listen to this project to hear that he has not lost a thing over the years; his feature on last verse of “Do You Hear What I Hear” is absolutely stellar. I can honestly say I did not expect that from a Greater Vision tenor, as they usually do not venture into that territory of high notes, but Allman handles it with aplomb.
Other highlights include Rodney Griffin’s take on a soft ballad with “A Cradle In Bethlehem” and Gerald Wolfe’s signature performance of “O Holy Night,” but really, there’s not a bad track on the project. Christmas projects usually have one or two “sleeper” songs, but I was pleasantly surprised with every single one here.
Bottom line: If you’re tired of the same boring Christmas music every year, let Everything Christmas rescue you from that. This project gets 5 stars.
Rating: 4 stars
Producers: Dustin Rogers, Keith Rogers, Derek Rogers
Label: Independent Release
Website: www.dustinrogersmusic.com
Track list: Consider The Gospel; Little Maria; He’s Been There; Lord, Pierce My Heart; I Still Miss You; Handing My Life To You; That Kid; I Worship You; Just A Word; Open My Eyes
Hear a full preview of this project.
Every once in a while, I’ll receive a project to review that is from an artist that may never rise to the ranks of national renown, but they produce a body of work which has a quality on-par with those groups and people that have that privilege. Such is the case with this album from Dustin Rogers, a pastor in Nebraska. According to a short bio on his website, Rogers has been playing guitar and writing music since his college days. This collection of songs he has written over the years is his debut recording project.
On Consider The Gospel, the listener who is looking for fully orchestrated tracks and a heavy sound will be disappointed. The music on this project is more on the “scaled-back” side, with most of the instrumentation being centered around the acoustic guitar (played by Rogers), often supplemented with piano, bass guitar, and on some tracks, a fiddle or kick drum. This approach to the music allows the songs to speak clearly and for themselves rather than being buried behind big production. Since Rogers probably wrote and arranged most of these pieces primarily on the guitar, the stripped-down sound gives them a more personal feel as well.
The songs range from Gospel songs to folk songs with a Christian message. The title track starts off with two verses of the hymn “Man of Sorrows” before segueing into a song in which the singer ponders how powerful the impact of the Gospel story is. From there, the album covers the adoption of a Romanian girl living in poverty (“Little Maria), dealing with the loss of a loved one, but living with the hope that they are in Heaven (“I Still Miss You,”), a sobering narrative on a “problem” child (“That Kid,”), and a story about how just the simple act of striking up a conversation with a stranger ended up being an encouragement to both the stranger and the conversation starter. Most of those songs were written from personal experiences in Rogers’ life (many of which are told on his website), and it gives each a quality that any listener can relate to. The rest of the tracks are songs of worship that, like the other songs, have a very real, accessible feel.
Final thoughts: When I heard that this was a debut project, and that it was a collection of songs all written and arranged by the person doing the singing, I almost groaned. Most of the time, the trouble with these kinds of albums is that they fall into the trap of producing a bunch of songs that all sound so similar that it becomes bland and monotonous. Not so with Consider The Gospel. Rogers has managed to avoid that, and instead wrote songs that stand on their own two feet. Each one, like I mentioned earlier, has a message we can all relate to, and the lyrics are often thought-provoking. It is always refreshing to hear songs that can appeal to everyone, not just a selective audience.
Bottom line: For a songwriting and recording debut, Consider The Gospel is a fine piece of work.
Rating: 5 stars
Producer: Ricky Free
Label: Daywind Records
Website: www.brianfreeandassurance.com
Track list: Anything is Possible; I Believe; God Will Close the Door; The Part Where You Come In; Remind Me of the Cross; It’s My Life; Turn the Page; Stand Among the Millions; It’s Gotta Be God; Never Walk Alone
After Brian Free & Assurance released Live In New York City in 2005, many people waited with anticipation to see what the group would produce next. What could follow such a successful effort? The answer came in the form of 2006′s It’s So God! That particular album has been mentioned time and time again as a “career project” for the group. It received five-star ratings from many reviewers, and the song selection and production were top-notch. After bass singer Keith Plott left the group in 2007, Jeremy Lile, formerly of Crystal River, was hired and Real Faith was released. This garnered attention as being both Lile’s debut with the group, and the group’s true foray into the cutting edge of Progressive Southern Gospel music. While the song selection on that album and the next, Worth It, was certainly stellar, the major complaint that many had was that the production gave those efforts a computerized, almost robotic sound, which was a detriment to the body of music, and kept either of those albums from surpassing the quality and success of It’s So God!
Earlier this year, it was announced that Ricky Free, Brian’s son and former drummer for the quartet, would be taking over the production of the group’s projects, breaking Barry Weeks’ two-project run. Ricky had already produced a few projects for the group (Christmas with Brian Free & Assurance, Timeless Hymns & Classics Vol. 2, and Acappella) that were very well-done, and many, including this blogger, hoped that he would finally get a hold of a true mainline release and steer it away from the computerized sound, and get back to the pre-Real Faith quality of the group.
At the risk of sounding like a fanboy, Never Walk Alone is today’s It’s So God!
There is plenty to like on this project: song selection, sound, production; all are stellar. While the group still maintains the modern feel of their previous two mainline releases, the sound is crisp and clean with sounding completely tweaked. Songs like “Anything Is Possible,” “God Will Close The Door,” and “Turn The Page” have the driving, progressive sound the group is known for. The album has its fair share of slower songs as well; bass singer Jeremy Lile gets the lead on a beautiful track entitled “Remind Me of The Cross,” returning baritone Derrick Selph carries a “mission statement” song on “It’s My Life,” and tenor Brian Free lends his trademark soaring tenor for “Stand Among The Millions.” He is also featured on the project’s title track, and takes it almost completely solo save for some harmony lines by lead singer Bill Shivers from the second verse on. That particular tune is one of my favorites on the project for a few reasons: it’s a very real and powerful lyric, it highlights the tight harmony Free and Shivers have built in the ten years they have been singing together, and it’s a completely different sound for the group. The only instrumentation is piano and orchestra, making for a striking contrast from the rest of the songs to close out the project.
Final thoughts: I’m afraid I’ve sounded like a crazed fan all over this review, but the truth is, I don’t know of a single thing to complain about on this project. Every aspect of it, right down to the album liners, is top-notch. Brian Free & Assurance have certainly outdone themselves here, and I’m anxious to see how they will follow this one up in the future. This is surely one of 2010′s best albums in the Southern Gospel genre.
Bottom line: For fans of BF&A who are tired of the over-compressed sound and longing for the days of It’s So God!, I would encourage you to pick up Never Walk Alone.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Producer: Wayne Haun
Label: Mansion Entertainment
Website: www.triumphantquartet.com
Track list: “Saved By Grace,” “Love Came Calling,” “I Can Take You To The Place,” “Mercy, Forgiveness and Grace,” “Movin’ Up To Gloryland,” “The Undertaker,” “Jesus Is Your Ticket To Heaven,” “We Shall Overcome,” “Holy Hands,” “The Cross of Christ,” “You’ll Find Me There”
There are some groups that have established themselves in their time in the Southern Gospel industry as a group whose sound is instantly recognizable, whether it be in the style in which they sing, the vocal components, or both. Triumphant Quartet is definitely part of that class of groups. They also are distinctive in that they are one of those rare groups who have never had a lineup change in their entire existence, which is going on nine years. That’s quite impressive in and of itself, and no less impressive is this group’s ability to find and record material that is of considerable quality. Love Came Calling, the quartet’s first effort on the Mansion Entertainment label, continues that trend.
Out of the eleven songs featured on this project, four are re-imaginings of songs, which is a term that I use for a song that has been done before, but is taken by the group and made different enough that it is not merely a cover version. The first track, “Saved By Grace,” was done originally by The McGruders and is given an upbeat, orchestrated sound that is typical of a Wayne Haun production. The built-in encore seems a little redundant, especially with the fade-out ending, but that does not take away entirely from the quality of the song. Other covers include “Movin’ Up To Gloryland,” which features David Sutton delivering the famous “movin” standouts on the chorus in different ways throughout the song to give some variety, “Jesus Is Your Ticket To Heaven,” a jazzed-up Ronnie Milsap hit that features Clayton Inman, and “We Shall Overcome,” a Nelons classic that is also very well-orchestrated.
The original songs on Love Came Calling are no less stellar. The title track lets baritone Scott Inman deliver the song in a soft, understated way that lets the lyric effectively communicate, making it one his finer features to date. “I Can Take You To The Place,” is a brand-new song done in a straight-ahead convention style that the group does well. Tenor David Sutton takes the lead on “Mercy, Forgiveness, and Grace,” a new ballad that, like Scott Inman’s feature, is one of the best Sutton has done. Bass singer Eric Bennett delivers an eerie lyric about death from the perspective of the undertaker in a song entitled “The Undertaker.” The elder Inman sings a mid-tempo tune about the peace that comes knowing that “Holy Hands” hold us, and then the younger one carries a powerful ballad about the Cross in “The Cross of Christ,” and then turns around immediately following that to take the second verse on an upbeat new offering from the writing team of he and Joseph Habedank. Like the project’s start, this is a strong song that highlights the group’s harmonies, and shows that Inman can deliver a range of styles effectively, and it turns out to be one of the project’s best tracks.
Final thoughts: Like I mentioned earlier, Triumphant’s strength lies in having a very recognizable sound, and part of that is retaining the same lineup in their entire existence. Such consistency allows for a better harmony and sound, which in turn makes for good music. However, you can have great harmony and still have mediocre songs. Fortunately, Triumphant has time and time again avoided that pitfall. This project embodies a collection of both new songs that are high-quality, and old songs that are given new life. The production fits both the songs and the singers to a T, giving a bit of life to the music, but not so much so that it becomes distracting. I came into this review expecting a good product, and I did not leave disappointed.
Bottom line: Fans of Triumphant Quartet will find nothing to complain about here, as the group continues to produce quality material, even after a record label switch.
Rating: 4 stars
Producers: Wayne Haun & Lari Goss
Label: Gaither Music Group
Website: www.erniesigsound.com
Buy The CD Here
Track list: “Wedding Music,” “Step Into The Water,” “Boundless Love,” “I Thirst,” “This Ole House,” “Champion Of Love,” “I’m Gonna Live Forever,” “Can He, Could He, Would He,” “Wonderful Grace Of Jesus,” “Sinner Saved By Grace,” “An Old Convention Song,” “Mexico,” “God Delivers Again,” “Life Will Be Sweeter,” “Moving Up To Gloryland,” “Plan Of Salvation,” “We Shall See Jesus,” “Yesterday,” “Gaither Medley,” “He Made A Change,” ”Oh What A Savior”
When Ernie Haase started the Signature Sound Quartet in 2002, it was no secret that the group’s ties to the Cathedral Quartet legacy were strong. After all, Haase’s father-in-law was the Cathedrals’ bass singer, George Younce. Wisely, however, the group set out to make a name for itself, rather than just riding on the coattails of the Cats’ success, although they did throw in the occasional Cathedrals song here and there on their project. Now that the group has established itself as a quartet all its own, it seems like the perfect time to give a salute to the group from which its founder came.
One thing I have always admired about Signature Sound is that whenever they cover a song that has been done previously, they do not simply do the same arrangement that every group has done; they try something new with it. Such is the case with the bulk of this project. Take, for instance, “Boundless Love.” Rather than starting the song with a couple of piano chords like you would expect, the opening “boom boom clap” (think Queen’s “We Will Rock You”) throws the listener for a loop and leads into a high-energy arrangement of the familar quartet number. Several more subtle changes are made as well, with inclusions that will intrigue long-time Cathedrals fans, like when piano player Wayne Haun is featured on “Champion Of Love” in an interesting parallel to piano player Gerald Wolfe’s feature on the same song when it was first recorded.
Final thoughts: Overall, I was very impressed with this body of work. Am I a fan of every song that was selected? No. But there’s really nothing here that has me reaching for the skip button. I’d much rather hear those particular takes on those songs instead of the take that every Tom, Dick, and Harry with a quartet has tried to do. That is one of the main reasons this project is such a good tribute; it’s not just recycled arrangements and lackluster performances. It’s an honest effort to maintain the originality and highlight the harmonies that The Cathedrals were known for.
Bottom line: For fans looking for a fitting tribute to one of the finest quartets Southern Gospel music has known, or a collection of classics that have been given new life, this is the project to turn to.
Rating:
4 stars
Producer: Rick Sandidge
Label: Mansion Entertainment
Website: www.threebridges.net
Track list: “David,” “Satan and Grandma,” “In The Valley There’s A Rock,” “Cooling Water,” “Not The Great I Was,” “Don’t Let Go,” “Everyday It Starts All Over Again,” “Wait On That Mountain To Move,” “I Believe,” “A Little Song Coming On,” “In The Sky,” “Free”
Three Bridges is a group whose name has been around for several years in Southern Gospel music. The trio debuted in 2002 with the Soldiers album, and from there went on to get nominations for awards such as the 2005 and 2006 Trio Of The Year in the Singing News Fan Awards, as well as have great radio success, garnering seven Top 10 singles and three #1 singles.
Other than the occasional appearance on TBN and a couple spins on the radio, I was not all that familiar with the group going into this review. I can remember hearing most of their stuff and not being entirely impressed. However, a lineup change earlier this year gave the Three Bridges sound a complete overhaul. Baritone and group manager Elliott McCoy filled the tenor and lead positions with Jeremie Hudson and Shannon Smith, respectively. Those two names should be recognizable to fans of The Imperials, as both of those men were with the group a couple years ago. The change was met with a largely positive reception, and I can’t put it any better than fellow blogger David Bruce Murray did when he said that Three Bridges “went from a group I wouldn’t drive across town to hear to one I’d drive an hour or more to hear.” Refined is the first effort from this new lineup.
In a situation such as this where a group has had numerous hits and have a shakeup of this caliber, the best move is to make a release with covers of those hits as well as some new material. This way, their fan base can hear how the new voices handle the old material, but are introduced to the group having a new sound all their own. Refined does exactly that. The project wisely starts off with two new songs. The opening track, “David,” is an upbeat tune featuring lead Shannon Smith, as well as some tight harmony on the choruses. The next new song, “Satan and Grandma,” is an interesting country ballad about the power of prayer that tenor Jeremie Hudson delivers to fine effect. Just from these two songs, anyone even remotely familiar with Three Bridges can tell that the sound is something completely new for the group.
For the next nine tracks, many of the groups better-known songs are covered. Vocally, the group definitely turned it up a notch from the previous forms of Three Bridges. Hudson and Smith still have the dynamic harmony that they had with The Imperials, (check out “Not The Great I Was,” where the two hit a couple of David Phelps & Guy Penrod-esque chords) and baritone Elliott McCoy blends well with their voices, and the new versions of these songs blow the originals out of the water. The only downside to this is the fact that most of the group’s hits featured the lead singer and had a similar sound, so after hearing Smith’s voice on a lot of songs that sound close to the same, it starts to run together. The only old track that doesn’t feature Smith is “I Believe,” a slow, soft song near the end of the album featuring Hudson. A new track, “Free,” brings this CD to a close. It’s a progressive track that features a guitar in the mix with riffs similar to that from rock group Santana’s “Smooth” and a sound that recalls, coincidentally, something that a recent Imperials lineup would do.
Final thoughts: I was very impressed with the sound displayed here. The only real complaint I have is the one I addressed earlier: most of the covers sound alike, so it runs together. Nevertheless, this new chapter of the group sounds fantastic throughout, and I am looking forward to hearing future efforts from them.
Bottom line: Refined solidifies this lineup as a breath of fresh air in the history of Three Bridges, improving upon the group’s previous material as well as introducing new songs that show what the group can do on their own.
As was the case last year, I came home from this year’s National Quartet Convention with a lengthy list of projects up for review. Here’s the lineup. This is not necessarily the order in which they will be reviewed; some I may try to review around the holidays or other events like the street release date, as will be the case with Ernie Haase & Signature Sound’s A Tribute to The Cathedral Quartet and Gold City’s Somebody’s Coming (once the pre-order comes in.)
1. Three Bridges - Refined
2. The Perrys – Blue Skies
3. Triumphant Quartet – Love Came Calling
4. Brian Free & Assurance – Never Walk Alone
5. Ernie Haase & Signature Sound – A Tribute to The Cathedral Quartet
6. The Greenes – Hallelujah
7. Legacy Five – Give The World A Smile
8. Gold City – Somebody’s Coming
9. Tribute Quartet – Hit Replay
10. The LeFevre Quartet - Encore
11. Gold City – A Collection of Favorites, Vol. 1
12. Booth Brothers, Greater Vision, & Legacy Five – Jubilee Two
13. The Inspirations – On The Sunrise Side
14. The Dixie Echoes – Golden Celebration
15. Mark Trammell Quartet – Testimony
16. Crystal River – Start A Revival
17. Greater Vision – Welcome Back
18. Greater Vision – Everything Christmas
19. Statement of Faith – Statement of Faith
Rating: 4 stars
Producer: Lari Goss
Label: Hopper Music
Website: www.thehoppers.com
Track list: “Victory Shall Be Mine,” “Oh How Amazing Is Amazing Grace,” “Something’s Happening,” “Nobody’s Too Bad Or Too Good,” “I’ve Been To Heaven,” “East of Jerusalem,” “Could It Be I’m Dreaming,” “He Remembers To Forget,” “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow,” “On The Authority,” “Living In The Arms Of Mercy,” “Statement Of Faith”
I’ll admit, I’m a casual fan of The Hoppers. Other than the occasional iTunes purchase of some of their more well-known songs and stuff they’ve done that I heard and enjoyed, I’m not all that familar with their work. I am, however, familiar enough to know that they have maintained a solid sound for the past few years, and this collection of songs is no exception.
The project opens with two upbeat tracks to grab the listeners attention. “Victory Shall Be Mine” has the typical orchestrated, driving sound that the group is known for, and “Oh How Amazing Is Amazing Grace” features a New Orleans big band style. On the other end of the spectrum, the title track is a big ballad that was originally done by male quartet Mercy’s Mark. The Hoppers take a more epic, ponderous approach to it than that group did, featuring the whole group on the first verse, Dean Hopper on the second, and Kim Hopper on the third verse, all the while building to the powerful chorus. What truly separates this version from any other, however, is Connie Hopper’s recitations sprinkled in between the verses, which fit in perfectly with both the lyrics and the sound of this song.
The other covers on the project include another Mercy’s Mark song, “Living In The Arms Of Mercy,” which is given a more traditional treatment this time around, and the GVB hit “On The Authority,” which is considerably jazzier than the Vocal Band rendition. The former features drummer Mike Hopper stepping behind the mic, and the latter, Dean Hopper. A Southern Gospel classic, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow,” is also redone, and is slightly faster than most versions I’ve heard. That track features Claude Hopper in his only solo of the album.
Some of the other memorable songs from this project are “Nobody’s Too Bad Or Too Good,” which features Dean and Kim Hopper’s daughter Karlye, and is both well sung and well written, and “East of Jerusalem,” a big slow number that features Kim Hopper, and manages to be a great song in its own right without any sort of nod to the group’s hit, “Jerusalem.” The final song, “Statement of Faith,” features all the same vocalists that are on the version found on the Legacy Five project, Just Stand.
Final thoughts: In the world of modern Southern Gospel music, the names Lari Goss and The Hoppers are almost synonymous. Goss is once again behind the producer’s chair for this latest project, and the combination once again turns out a fine body of work. While not exactly exploring groundbreaking material for the group, this project sticks to the tried-and-true sound that The Hoppers have attained over the last few years, while still throwing in a few unique numbers to add flavor. One thing you can say about this group is this: they are consistent in the quality of their material. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” indeed.
Bottom line: Fans of The Hoppers, or quality Southern Gospel in general, will enjoy Something’s Happening.
Rating: 5 stars
Producers: Bill Gaither, David Phelps, & Michael English
Label: Gaither Music Group
Website: www.gaither.com
This project was purchased directly from the artist. This fact has no bearing on the final rating.
1. Better Day – The project starts off with a song that will be familiar to those who have seen the last DVD that the Vocal Band put out, as it was the title track. There are a few subtle differences in vocal arrangement and instrumentation from the live version, which make it more than just the studio version of a song that was previously introduced in a live setting. This track displays the smooth harmonies of the five-man lineup right up front and whets the listener’s appetite for the rest of the project, which makes it a good choice for an opener.
2. When He Blest My Soul - Like the previous track, this song was already featured on a DVD release. There’s added instrumentation here also, most notably the driving brass section that work with the organ and piano to inject energy into the song. The vocal arrangement is outstanding, most notably with David Phelps and Wes Hampton’s parts interchanging throughout the final chorus. While Gold City is the group that comes to my mind when this song is mentioned, the Vocal Band has a version that is just as good.
3. Love Like I’m Leavin’ – This is the third and final track that has already been introduced elsewhere. Nothing much differs between this take and the live one, but the studio version better highlights some of the vocal subtleties in the group harmonies.
4. You Are My All In All – In the first “new” song on the project, David Phelps’ arranging skills are brought to bear on this CCM classic. A cello brings in the start, and Pachelbel’s Canon in D is interwoven throughout the song with an acoustic guitar and violins. Phelps is featured on the verses, and keeps it pretty low-key for the most part before taking it up into classic power-tenor mode for the final chorus. Phelps’ arrangements are something the Vocal Band sorely missed, and this is a perfect example of why.
5. Please Forgive Me – This Crabb Family hit gets an orchestrated treatment and features Michael English. The emotion with which English sings is evident throughout the first verse and carries throughout the song. Some very smooth harmonies are sprinkled into the second verse, and then after the second chorus, an arpeggiated vocal lead-in brings in a powerful final chorus. This is one of the highlights of the disc, showcasing both the group’s power harmony and how much vocal strength English still has.
6. Greatly Blessed, Highly Favored – Right off the bat, you get the sensation you’ve heard this song before. That’s because, technically, you have. This Larry Gatlin and Bill Gaither cooperation takes the melody and rhythm of the Gatlin Brothers hit, “All The Gold In California” and changes the words to convey the message of being a “Greatly blessed, highly favored, imperfect but forgiven child of God.” Wes Hampton takes the solo on the verse, and while the song is a definite re-write of a popular country tune, it thankfully manages to avoid the cheesiness factor and stands on its own two feet.
7. He’s Alive - Fans of Don Francisco or owners of David Phelps’ rare pre-Gaither solo project, Journey To Grace, will recognize this track. David Phelps displays that he can tell a story with a lyric like few other singers can, and while the final chorus is half a step lower than his solo take, the wall of five voices give it extra punch, and his suspended high note is no less powerful.
8. Ain’t Nobody - This song displays one of the most unique sounds on the album. This Michael English feature features some very precise group harmonies to start out, with Bill Gaither singing half a beat in front of the group, making for an interesting sound. I can’t quite put my finger on how to describe this track, but funky would be the best term. It’s bouncy, progressive, and different.
9. Clean - David Phelps displays a smooth, soft delivery on this Bill Gaither & Larry Gatlin creation. Wes Hampton is above Phelps on the tenor line, giving the backup lines by the rest of the group a very full sound that really takes the track to the next level.
10. Muddy Water - It’s back to the funky, gritty sound on this one. English’s vocal riffs at the beginning are reminiscent of those of Guy Penrod on the title track of the group’s 2008 project, Lovin’ Life. Gordon Mote supplies some very nice piano riffs throughout, and Bill Gaither’s standout bass lines on the last lines of the choruses are probably the strongest on the project.
11. That Sounds Like Home To Me - This Goodman’s classic hasn’t been covered all that much, so this was a good choice for a song to update. The group gives it a swing feel and the vocals display a tight sound not unlike what you would find on a Booth Brothers project. Michael English takes the first verse (which is only fitting, since he was in the 1982 Goodmans group that sang the song), and Mark Lowry is featured on the second. David Phelps leads an almost-acapella final chorus before the instruments come back in on the last half and bring the song to a soft close.
12. I Know How To Say Thank You - Mark Lowry gets his first full feature on the album with this song that many may know from when it was sung on a Homecoming video by Sarah DeLane and Marshall Hall. Mark’s tones have become fuller and richer with time, and this is one of his finest performances to date. A powerful final chorus brings all five parts in before softening up again for a quiet finish.
13. He Is Here - Wes Hampton takes a song that Kirk Talley is well-known for writing and singing and puts his own spin on it. Wes was a good tenor when he first joined the Vocal Band, but has really come into his own in his time with the group, and even more so in the five-man lineup, and this track proves it. The soaring melody brings out probably his best solo feature in his tenure with the group. A subdued choir in the background closes out the project with a fadeout.
Final thoughts: The past couple of projects that the Gaither Vocal Band had recorded had many people, including this blogger, wondering if Bill Gaither was bringing in the twilight of the Vocal Band and planning to retire. Other than a couple decent songs, there just seemed to be something lacking in the music. A lineup change that led to an unprecedented five members in the Vocal Band and the return of Michael English, David Phelps, and Mark Lowry to the ranks injected new excitement in the group, and the sound was incredible. The first project by the new group, Reunited, was good, but it had people longing for the group to do something truly new.
Greatly Blessed is that something new. Every vocalist is at the top of their game here, and the song selection and arrangements hearken back to both the vocal prowess of Phelps’ days with the group and the creativity of both that era and English’s first run. Part of the beauty of having five people is hearing how the parts are structured on each song; Wes Hampton and David Phelps do their fair share of swapping the tenor part, which make for some interesting background harmonies on each song.
Bottom line: This Vocal Band’s first real product of new material is a breath of fresh air into their discography, as it gives the group a chance to explore with different styles and use the five vocal parts to create a unique sound. There is simply no reason that Greatly Blessed should not get 5 stars.
