Via Burke’s Brainwork (who got it from our fellow blogger overseas, Phil), Legacy Five has jumped into the sometimes crazy world of blogging.
Artist blogs are always an interesting read, and I’m sure this one will be as well. Be sure to welcome them into the fold!
Rating: 5 stars
Producer: Lari Goss
Label: Daywind Records
Website: www.legacyfive.com
1. New Born Feeling - This song that The Cathedrals used to do opens up this project in a nice up-tempo way. This arrangement is quite a bit different from any previous treatments this song has gotten; it’s very jazzy and the group does a nice job of breathing new life into it. The verses are sung in mostly unison, splitting into parts near the end. Right away, it is evident that the group’s harmonies have been capitalized upon in this latest effort.
2. Great Is Thy Faithfulness - Typically, when one hears the name Lari Goss, they think of the lush orchestrations that usually show up in his productions. This project is no exception. Goss arranged this version of this great hymn of the church, and the orchestration fits perfectly with the song. Tenor singer Frank Seamans is featured on the second verse, hitting high notes that were heretofore not really featured in his voice. The whole song fits the group like a glove.
3. One Thing God Can’t Do - Pianist Tim Parton sings the first truly “new” song of the project. Parton’s voice is not grating, but it doesn’t hint at any powerhouse vocals either. Rather, his soft vocals are what they are, and he doesn’t try to make it any more than that. The soft ballad songs seem to be where his vocal strength lies, and he turns in one of the finest performances he’s done with the group.
4. Just Stand - Fans of the Liberty Quartet will recognize this CD’s title track. This song was written by former Liberty pianist/baritone Doran Ritchey and was featured on their Amazed project, the review of which has been done here.
Legacy Five takes this song, raises the key a full step, and kicks it up a notch. The jazzy horns are back, and this hard-driving track gives bass singer Glenn Dustin room to showcase his lower notes. Dustin has improved over the past 10 or so years as a vocalist, and he sounds great on this song. This is sure to become a concert favorite for the group, and would be good radio single material.
5. Faithful To The Cross - Legacy Five is one of those groups that likes to have a premier ballad on each of their projects; a slower song that is powerful and comes to mind whenever that particular CD is mentioned. This track is likely to be that song for Just Stand. Lead singer Scott Fowler gets the feature on this powerful statement of the group’s mission. Frank Seamans shines on the bridge and final chorus. Like Dustin, Seamans has improved over his tenure with the group as well.
6. Above All Circumstances - Baritone Scott Howard gets the solo on this “orchestrated country” track. Howard’s voice sounds very well-rounded on this song. Songs of this type seem to be his forte, and he does a great job here.
7. When They Found Nothing - Another ballad featuring Scott Fowler that is similar to “Carved In Stone” from the group’s Heroes Of The Faith project. It is similar in both sound and lyrical message. I’m told this will be the first single from the project, and it’s a good choice.
8. My Soul Is Firmly Anchored - This song was featured on Paid In Full’s latest project, No Trace Of Rain, and unlike Paid In Full’s heavily country-influenced version, Legacy Five gives the song a more straight-forward quartet treatment. The song really picks up when the lead is handed to Frank Seamans near the end and the other guys all sing different lyrics under him.
9. Statement Of Faith - This song features four groups: The Booth Brothers, Greater Vision, The Hoppers, and Legacy Five. It is in the anthem style, and while not every member of each group is featured, it is still a good song, and every featured vocalist does a fine job.
10. Thankful For The Change - It’s back to the upbeat, horn-driven style for this track. While not immediately a standout, it is a pleasant track, and it grows on you each time you hear it.
11. ‘Til We Meet Again - A powerful slow song about going different directions in life closes out this project, and as others have mentioned, it is almost like a send-off for the departing Frank Seamans. They couldn’t have picked a better song as Seamans’ final feature, and his performances is sweetened by the fact of his leaving.
Final Thoughts: The team of Legacy Five and Lari Goss is something that should have happened long ago. He had a hand in Heroes Of The Faith, but this is the first project that truly took the reins on for this group. The vocals are smooth, the song selection stellar, and each vocalist shines. This is one of the best CDs the group has recorded to date.
It has been announced that the CD will be re-cut with the new tenor’s vocals, and I may do a separate post comparing the two versions of this album. As is, however, this is definitely something Legacy Five can be proud of.
Another night of NQC has become history. A few thoughts for the night:
1. The way Legacy Five sang tonight (Frank Seamans in particular), you’d never guess a personnel change was taking place. Often if a member of a group is getting ready to leave, their stage presence and their singing sounds off. Not so with L5 and Seamans. Seamans is one of the most under-rated vocalists in the industry, let alone tenor singer. It will be interesting to see who L5 picks up as the next tenor.
Something I respect Frank for is, he’s all class, even in the change. At least he is staying on until a new guy comes on board instead of leaving the group up the creek without a paddle.
2. More sound issues. Tonight, the mics popped, cracked, and sizzled again, and several vocalists’ mics were way too hot. Arthur Rice in particular almost blew everybody out of their seat every line he sang. No fault of his own; the mic was simply too loud. Maybe since Gaither has rolled in and his technical crew will have shown up tomorrow, the sound situation will start to improve.
3. Tony and TaRanda Greene looked and sounded great tonight. Big contrast from last year, when Tony barely had the strength to stand. The kidney transplant was a success and it shows.
Post your thoughts in the comments section if you wish.
Averyfineline has confirmed with the L5 office that Frank Seamans is leaving Legacy Five, but only after a new tenor is found. This is probably due to the health situation with his son, Frank Jr.
More thoughts on this when I do my report of tonight’s NQC. Coincidentally, L5 is on mainstage tonight, hopefully singing some songs off their just-released “Just Stand” project.
It’s been another news-filled week for Southern Gospel music. Let’s look at some things that took place in the past few days:
1. Mike & Kelly Bowling have experienced change again. Tenor Chris Whitaker came off the road to be with a sick family member, and stepping up to round out the group is Terah Penhollow. With the personnel change comes yet another name change for the group to The Bowling Family. Read more about it here.
2. Elsewhere in personnel changes, the Blackwood Gospel Quartet has hired a new tenor. Dale Evans is filling the tenor position for the group. The former tenor, Daniel Childs, came off the road due to health issues. The BGQ is currently at work on a new project slated for release sometime this September.
3. The Gaither Vocal Band’s new project, Reunited, is now available for preorder. This highly anticipated project will be available everywhere on Sept. 8, but you can hear it now by getting the download at gaither.com.
Be looking for a review on this blog in the weeks following NQC.
4. Legacy Five is also taking pre-orders for their upcoming Daywind release, Just Stand. The project will be making it’s official debut at this year’s NQC. Lari Goss is producing, and you can tell the guys are excited about this latest effort. One thing about Lari is that if he has a hand in it, it will be a quality product; he’s a master of the production craft. Be looking for a review on that project as well.
Update: They have clips of this and the Jubilee! project with the Booth Brothers and Greater Vision up here.
Upcoming Review: Gold Harbor – It’s All Good
For those of you that, like me, wanted to attend the Freedom Celebration in DC this weekend but were unable to, you’ll be glad to know you can still listen to the concerts. Daniel Britt and Wanda Taylor of JOY FM will be hosting live radio broadcasts of the concerts this weekend. You can tune in on the radio or online at their website for concerts featuring Legacy Five, Greater Vision, and The Pfeifers, and guest speakers Col. Oliver North and Dennis Swanberg.
Times for the broadcasts are as follows:
Friday, July 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 4 at 10 a.m.
Saturday, July 4 at 6:00 p.m.
Hey, everybody! Great to be back in the blogosphere after a nice break. Let’s look at a rundown of things I missed:
“…Ok, I got to talk to Frank Friday night. I just told him that I’d heard some rumors going around about him leaving the group and I wanted to hear from him if he was.
He said that in several weeks Frank Jr is going to have to be in the hospital for a month. He said that him staying depends on how Frank Jr is after that. He said if he is gets good results and he’s doing alright he’ll stay, but if something happens his son needs to be his #1 priority. As much as I don’t want him to leave, I completely understand. He told me that he just felt like he had to be honest with Scott about it, because if something happened with his son and he was still with the group he didn’t want to have be in the position where L5 needed him and he also needed to be with Frank Jr. He said that they had checked in to some possibilities of either a temporary or replacement tenor.
So as of right now he’s not leaving. They just have to keep in mind the possibility of needing another tenor. He said they’re just praying and waiting on what God leads them to do. But he did tell me that unless something happens where he has to leave or unless God leads him to do something else, he would NEVER leave! He said he loves what he does and really believes this is what God has lead him to do.
He just asked that we please pray for his son. And we all REALLY need to keep Frank and Frank Jr in our prayers regularly. I know I’m definitely gonna be spending alot more time on my knees on their behalf. The whole family needs to be in our prayers. I know it’s got to be trying on Frank’s faith and not always easy to put up a strong front.
I just want him to know that we love him and are praying for him. I’m really believing God will work a miracle for him…”
Speaking of Legacy Five, they have several new projects coming out in the next couple of months, one being their next Daywind release. It is entitled Just Stand, and is being produced by Lari Goss. That said, it should be one of the best projects they’ve ever done.
Mike Huckabee performs with Legacy Five
Mike Huckabee was the surprise guest speaker last weekend at Legacy Five’s Celebration event in Nashville, Tennessee at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. At the conclusion of his speech, Governor Huckabee played bass guitar for Legacy Five as they sang the classic gospel song, “I’ll Fly Away.”
Rating: 4 stars
Producers: Legacy Five
Website: www.legacyfive.com
Songs: “I’m Feeling Fine,” “Joy,” “Vessel Of Mercy,” “I Found Grace,” “The Prettiest Flowers,” “Strong In The Strength,” “That’s What Grace Is For,” “Out Of My Darkness,” “Jericho Road,” “I Know That I Know,” “What A Friend,” “Steppin’ Out On The Water,” and “Why Wouldn’t I”
I call this a mini-review because I am not going to go into detail about each track of this project. Most likely, if you’re going to buy this project, it’s because you are a fan of Legacy Five and are familiar with the songs on the project. Therefore, there’s no need for a super-detailed analysis.
This release marks the 10th Anniversary of the formation of Legacy Five in 1999. To celebrate this, the group has put out a project compiling some of the favorites of their years as a group and re-recorded them with new vocals and tracks, plus three new songs never recorded by the group before. The second disc consists of the original versions of these favorites.
One of the best parts about releasing the project this way is the opportunity to compare the original cuts and the new ones side by side. It’s fun to hear how much has the group has improved over the years. The new arrangments on these songs stand on their own feet and sound very fresh.
As far as the brand-new songs go, “I Know That I Know” goes for more of an old-timey feel than did the original version by the Mark Trammell Trio, but MTT does a better job, as it’s a song that sounds more like it was suited for a trio. “What A Friend” is a rendition of the old hymn that didn’t hold my attention, perhaps because of the slow tempo. The best new song, however, is “Why Wouldn’t I,” which was originally done by Liberty Quartet on their latest project, Amazed, and was written by that group’s pianist, Doran Ritchey. Both groups do a fantastic job on the song, and Legacy Five’s version is such that if I hadn’t heard Liberty’s cut first, I’d have thought it was written specifically for L5.
This is a fine project from a fine group, and the new versions of these songs are great to listen to. The vocals are smooth, and the production quality is as well. The mix on this project sounds very decent, and not muffling the vocals like the group’s latest major release. Old and new fans of the group alike will enjoy this look back at the group’s ten-year history.
Upcoming review: Ronnie Milsap – Then Sings My Soul
Hello, all. It’s been quite a while since my last post, but there’s really been nothing going on that I could add anything meaningful to. I’d encourage you to scroll down the page to the blogroll to see what the other guys have had to say lately!
Today marks the release of the 10th Anniversary project of Legacy Five. They’ve released a two-disc project in which the group has put together the original cuts of some of their best-known songs, then re-recorded them on the second disc with all-new vocals and tracks. Songs include: I’m Feeling Fine, Joy, Vessel Of Mercy, I Found Grace, The Prettiest Flowers, Strong in the Strength, That’s What Grace is For, Out Of My Darkness, Jericho Road, and Stepping Out on the Water. Also featured will be three songs the group has never recorded: I Know That I Know, Why Wouldn’t I?, and What A Friend We Have In Jesus. Be looking for a mini-review of the project on this blog.
Also worth mentioning, the group has started work on their next major release, produced by none other than Lari Goss. Mr. Goss has produced some of the finest albums out there, and I for one can’t wait to hear the results from this latest work.
