Review: Triumphant Quartet "Songs From the Heart"

Be of Good Cheer - This is a great starter to the album!  It’s an upbeat fast song, with a great variety of instrumentation.  I love the mix of strings and guitars.  This is the Triumphant Quartet at their best.  Eric Bennett and Kirk Talley created a winner here.

Thank You Lord - This is a little more serious-sounding song than the last, although the pace is still pretty fast.  I absolutely love the tune to the chorus.  Clayton Inman wrote this one.  Once again, I hear strings, as well as electric keyboard and regular piano.  I believe I also heard just a little bit of brass, but not much.

Praying For Me - This song is average.  Not awesome.

When It’s All Said and Done - I believe the first time I heard this song was on the Gospel Greats program with Paul Heil.  The Kingsmen were singing it, and I loved it.  When I finally obtained a copy of it, though, I didn’t care for it as much as I had when I heard it the first time.  I like the Triumphant Quartet’s arrangement much better than the Kingsmen version (from Missing People).  Everything from the music to the vocals is better.  It was written by Scotty Inman and Dustin Sweatman, and I’m glad they decided to include it on the project.

Streets of Gold - Written by Jeff Stice, this up-tempo track is fun and slightly jazzy.  These guys really know how to write good music for their lyrics.  The chorus is probably my favorite tune, although the verses are outstanding as well.

When the Rapture Comes My Way - No Christian should be afraid of the rapture, but they should have the attitude of “Let the rapture come my way” as this song says.  Of course there should be a sense of apprehension because of unsaved friends and family.  This is a great song as well.

God Works All Things For Good - This song, IMO, isn’t outstanding, but it’s all right.  It’s a lighter down-tempo ballad with guitars and violins making up a noticeable part of the soundtrack.  It’s really not a bad song, but it wouldn’t be the one that I would mention when recommending the CD.

Almost Home - While I can enjoy some rockier songs, this is not one of them.  It’s a little too loud and energetic for me.  It has the same type of backbeat that is used in songs like “That Little Baby” by the Kingdom Heirs. (I know, it was sung by Gold City as well)  It has some handclapping (which I don’t particularly care for usually in songs) and loud brass sections.

Goin’ Up to Heaven - This fits in with my musical preferences a little better than the last.  It’s still not as good as some of the other fast songs, but it’s good nonetheless.  It was written by Clayton Inman.

Let’s All Stand Up For America - This song is rather majestic sounding with big orchestration.  Once again, it’s not my favorite, but it’s not bad.

Comments:
Songs From the Heart is the Triumphant Quartet at their best.  It’s no wonder they’re so popular right now!  I was talking to a friend a little while back about them, and he was raving about them and their Love Came Calling CD.  I was like “nah, they’re OK, but not that good,” but I hold a different opinion now.  While Love Came Calling wasn’t as good as it could have been, I can’t see many ways that this project could be improved!  The ballads aren’t, IMHO, first class material, but most of the fast songs are exceptional.  I would whole-heartedly recommend this CD to any Southern Gospel fan.

I received this CD as a Christmas present, and the family member that got it for me purchased it on Springside.com.  I’ll go ahead and give them a little publicity right now.  They sent the package first-class, I believe, without any extra cost so it could arrive before Christmas.  While the CD prices are a little high (you can get some CDs for a cheaper price on ChristianBook.com), the shipping speed was terrific.  If you want outstanding service, buy from Springside.  Anyway, I was not paid or asked to say this, but I thought I’d throw it in anyway.

CD Rating: 4.5-5 stars
Favorite Songs: “Be of Good Cheer,” “Thank You Lord,” “Streets of Gold,” “When the Rapture Comes My Way,” “When It’s All Said and Done”

Review copy not provided

Who Sang These Christmas Songs?

I heard some interesting Christmas songs on the radio this year.  If you know these songs, or know who sang them, please let me know!  I’d like to possibly get copies of them.  I tried to Google a couple of these, but I couldn’t find them that way.

• You’re the Gift That Keeps on Giving (male quartet or trio maybe?)
• Will Santa Clause Be in Heaven (It’s a Mystery to Me)
• Snow Medley (I think this was a quartet song.  It had songs like “Let It Snow” and [“White Christmas”?] in it.  Possibly Mercy’s Well?  I’ll have to look that up.)
• There was at least one other one, but I forget it now.  It sounded sort of like the Crist Family to me.

Best Albums of 2011

Worth Buying:

• A Collection of Favorites Volume One - Gold City 

Well, perhaps not worth buying, but at least worth listening to.  There’s several songs that are especially hearing like “He Hideth My Soul,” “We’ll Soon Be Done.”  Also, don’t miss “Where the Roses Never Fade.”

• Grace Says - Kingsmen Quartet 

You may not want to listen to this album over and over again, but when you’re in the mood for it, it sure delivers!  “He’s Everything I Need (That’s All I Need)” and “If Not For the Love of Christ” are great songs.

• Let it Be Known - Booth Brothers

Even if you don’t want to buy this album, try to borrow it from a friend or find it online.  Great cover art, and good-message songs.  The fast songs weren’t as well done as some older ones like “Welcome to the Family” or “He Saw It All.”  The group made a very professional quality video with their radio single song, “She Still Remembers Jesus’ Name.”  “What About Now” is very good although it’s pretty long.

• More Than Enough - Whisnants 

Good artwork, with a lot of solid songs, make for a great album.  More Than Enough is no exception.  Two of my favorite songs are “I Will Glory In the Cross” and “Burn the Boat.”

• Part of the Family - Collingsworth Family 

There’s a lot of solid songs on this CD, although many of the fast songs could use improving.  I think The Answer was slightly better.  “Just Another Rainy Day” and “Resurrection Morn” were two of my favorite songs from this project.

• Precious Friend - Stetler Trio 

This is a fairly good CD, although you may not want to spend $15+ dollars for it.  It could have definitely been improved with more up-tempo numbers.  The best song, hands-down, goes to “Made Me Glad.”  “More Than Wonderful” could win second place, although it might have a bit of trouble competing with “Total Praise Medley.”

• Songs From the Heart - Triumphant Quartet

Probably the best CD of 2011 if I had to pick one.  Lots of excellent songs.  “Streets of Gold,” “Be of Good Cheer,” “When It’s All Said and Done,” “When the Rapture Comes My Way,” and “Thank You Lord.”

• The Only Way - Greater Vision 

Fans of this award-winning trio have seen better albums, but this is still not a project you’ll want to miss if you’re a fan.  I loved the song “Eternity’s About To Begin.”  “No Longer Chained” would probably take second place.  The CD could have used some big ballads.

• We Will Stand Our Ground - Kingdom Heirs 

This album should be considered when you cast your vote for best CD.  It’s packed with winners.  It could used more than one true ballad, though.  “I’m a Brand New Man” and “Just Preach Jesus” would get my support for best songs, though some of the others follow closely behind.

Worth Listening To:

• A Wonderful Life - Legacy Five

Legacy Five’s last major-label release with all-new material, Just Stand, was much better, IMO.  Still, if you’re a fan of L5, you won’t want to miss this album.  There are several note-worthy songs (not stupendous, note-worthy) such as Living In the Palace, and A Wonderful Life,

• Blue Skies Coming - Perrys 

Perrys fans will want to get at least one listen out of this album.  After several plays, you might not want to hear the CD anymore, but it does have some great songs like “Grace Doesn’t Remember” and “Every Time I Need Him.”

• Somebody’s Coming - Gold City

I know I gave this project a pretty low rating, but I think it a lot of people will like it better than I did.  “Peter, James, and John,” and “Lord of Life” were two very good songs.

• The Waiting Is Over -Tribute Quartet 

This album isn’t one to write home about, but you may want to at least hear it.
“Homecoming Day” wins first place, and several others, such as “More Than Able,” struggle for second.

Top 15 Songs of 2011

These are some of my favorite songs from 2011.

1. Resurrection Morn - Collingsworth Family (Part of the Family)
2. Eternity’s About to Begin - Greater Vision (The Only Way)
3. Family Ties - Wilburn & Wilburn (Family Ties)
4. Love Was in the Room - Ernie Haase & Signature Sound (George Younce With EH&SS)
5. I’m a Brand New Man - Kingdom Heirs (We Will Stand Our Ground)
6. Good Enough - Browns (Now)
7. Out of His Great Love - Faith Trio (Knowing You)
8. Made Me Glad - Stetler Trio (Precious Friend)
9. Amazing Grace (My Chains Fell Off) - Forgiven (Forgiven)
10. Peter, James, and John - Gold City (Somebody’s Coming)
11. He’s Everything I Need (That’s All I Need) - Kingsmen (Grace Says)  Back to Grace is pretty good too!
12. Burn the Boat - Whisnants (More Than Enough)
13. Only Here For a Little While - Doug Anderson (with Signature Sound on the album Dreamin’ Wide Awake)
14. I’m Still Amazed - Legacy Five (A Wonderful Life)
15. Celebrate Me Home - Perrys (Blue Skies Coming)

What are your favorites?

"Family Ties" Revisited

I’d like to revise some of my comments about the Wilburn & Wilburn CD Family Ties.

First off, I’d like to say that everything in this post is completely true.  I’ve always hated it when politicians would say something controversial, and then make a public apology for it when they got a lot of criticism.  So I don’t want my comments here to resemble something like that.  I did go back and relisten to the CD due to the large amount of negative comments I received on the post, however I am not lying when I say that I have changed my opinion on most of the songs.  With that being said, let us continue.

First of all, I left all the “constructive” part of out of my criticisms which was a big mistake.  I wasn’t taking into consideration that I was writing a review about a CD that was made by actual people, and that those people could someday read the post.  That should be a rule of thumb for me right there.  Don’t write something that you wouldn’t want the creator (or in this case, the musical artist) to read.  However, it’s too late for that.  I’m not going to remove my post, as one reader suggested I do.  But I would like to make an apology for being so…critical and mean-spirited.  Obviously there is a place for criticisms in a review, but I didn’t find the right balance in this one.

I believe there were a couple of reasons the review was so critical.  For one, I only listened to the CD once.  It didn’t fit into my preferred musical styles, so I immediately wrote bad things about it.  But as I’ve said before, sometimes it takes me a couple of listens before I start to really like a project.  Secondly, I was probably wanting the CD to be something that it simply wasn’t.  I’m a big fan of quartet music, and the mainline Southern Gospel sound.  But Wilburn & Wilburn isn’t a quartet.  And they had a different style than other groups.  I see now that there’s nothing wrong with that.  I just had to adjust my thinking a little.

I do hold the same opinion as before on a couple of the songs on Family Ties.  I still do not like “I Ain’t Giving Up On Jesus” or “Let’s All Go Down to the River.”  BUT, after listening to the rest of the CD a couple of times, I have come to enjoy most of the songs that I ranted about:

• It’s a Shore Thing - 4-4.5 stars
• Jesus Will - 4 stars
• Devil Be Gone - 3 stars
• Mama - 3.5 stars
• You’ll Still Be There - 2.5 stars
• A Cross Became My Saving Grace - 3 stars
• I John - 3.5 stars
• Things I’ve Never Done - 4 stars
• Family Ties - 5 stars 

Like I said earlier, I’m not just saying all this.  I really have come to enjoy the CD a lot more than I did when I first listened to it.  If I were to write the review again, I’d probably give Family Ties a 3.5-4 star rating, instead of just two.

So, do with this article what you want.  But I wanted to make it clear to my readers that I don’t think it’s terrible like I made it out to be.

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Review: Gold City "Somebody's Coming"

Peter, James, and John - This is the best song on the album (with “Lord of Life” coming in second probably) and is the perfect selection for radio single.  It has a nice country flavor, and the group really shines.  The only criticism I can see would be the ending,  It seems there should be more to it.  It doesn’t follow the chorus endings for the rest of the song.  It has different words and leaves you wishing for more.

I Get Down - The last song was excellent, this one is just the opposite.  Tim Riley leads the song.  It doesn’t do much for me.

Footprints on the Water - Don’t be surprised if you hear similarities to the last song, “I Get Down,” especially in the intro.  It’s a jazzy number, kind of fun, a little obnoxious with the electric guitars.

It Won’t Be Long - A note to Gold City: tone down!  Also, the music is a bit annoying with the loud percussion and electric guitars.  Some lyrics that stood out to me:

There’s no need standing up for the right, unless you’re gonna stand up against the wrong.


and:

You’d better make haste to meet your maker before you have to meet with the undertaker.


Good theology.  :)

Showers of Blessings - This song doesn’t sound much to me like Gold City.  The vocals sound like they’re sung by a different group (not one that I know, but a different group nonetheless)  The group had the perfect opportunity to at least sneak part of the old hymn into this track, but they missed their opportunity.  Nevertheless, “Showers of Blessings” is kind of a fun song.

Lord of Life - To me, this song would win second place on the album.  The first ballad, it starts out with fairly light music, and then kicks into high gear at the first chorus.  If you want a small sampling of the album, buy this song track, and “Peter, James, and John” on iTunes.

Somebody’s Coming - You’re sitting at an interminably long red light, bored out of your skull.  Suddenly, a sleek, red corvette pulls up next to you, rock music blasting from the radio.  The driver thinks he’s a “cool dude” complete with tattoos, muscle shirt, and tattoos.  You feel like opening your window and playing something from your car.  But, suddenly, you hear that the song he’s listening to is by Gold City!  And it’s called “Somebody’s Coming”!

OK, obviously, this will likely never happen.  But I’m telling you, minus the Christian words, this song would be absolutely perfect on a rock-n-roll or country station.  Well, if you like that kind of music, this song isn’t half bad, although it is very rocky.

Leave That Burden - This is ballad two of three.  It’s slightly slower than some down-tempo songs, but it’s certainly slower than most of the others on Somebody’s Coming.  I don’t think that the chorus is extremely well written.  It seems that there’s too many words stuffed into a small space.  The song is kind of country-flavored.  This seems to be the genre that most of the songs on the album would fit into.

I Have an Anchor - Sometimes it takes a few listens before I start to like a CD or song.  Second time through this one, and it’s improving, at least in my mind.  The group could have sang part of the song “Will Your Anchor Hold” (or perhaps called “We Have an Anchor”) in the old Praise and Worship hymnal that my church uses, but alas they didn’t.  So many old songs like this, that are in my hymnbook, never get sung by Southern Gospel groups.  Sometimes I can’t say that it would be a good idea to record some of those old songs though.  Not all of them are exactly well written.

Never Too Broken to Belong - Imagine piano and strings, because that’s what this song is.  It’s pretty (as in to a fairly large, noticeable, or reasonable extent) pretty. :)

Album Art: The cover is a work of art.  I really like it.  I’d like to say that the actual cover art is a bit different than the JPEG image above, mainly in and around the font.

Comments:
I have to say that most of the songs are not as good as some of the songs on Gold City’s last major release Moment of Truth, such as “What Children Believe,” and “By Your Grace, For Your Glory.”  There are a couple 4.5-5 star songs, and the rest range from 1.5-4 stars.  I can’t recommend paying $15 for the entire album, but I would recommend getting some of the songs on a digital download site, such as iTunes.

This album was very country influenced, with almost all of the songs, having at least a little bit, that country flavor.  I generally love country style Southern Gospel music, but I can’t say that about this album.  A lot of the songs are too loud for me.

Most likely, you’ll have a different view of the album than me.  Daniel J. Mount gave it a very favorable review.  If you liked Moment of Truth, then you’ll most likely like Somebody’s Coming.  If you didn’t like Moment of Truth, then don’t get Somebody’s Coming.

CD Rating: 2.5 stars
Favorite Songs: “Peter, James, and John,” “Lord of Life,” “Somebody’s Coming”

Review copy provided by New Haven Records

Video: Second Generation - Give It Away

I saw this song performed live at Youth Challenge 2011, several weeks back.  I finally found the video for it, and wanted to share it.  

Obviously, the music isn't on the scale that the Gaither Vocal Band would have.  But I still think it's fun to watch, especially since the group members are teenagers.  They sound off-tune when they start singing the chorus after the second verse, but other than that, I can't see any other places when they're not on tune.  I think if they're going to go for an encore twice, then they need to change keys the second time through.

Please tell me what you think.  You can find the video on our YouTube channel, along with some other music videos.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Southern Gospel Yankee posted a list of things she was thankful for today on her blog.  I thought I'd do the same thing.  Obviously there are many things I can be thankful, but these are some of the major as well as the more humorous ones.

• My family
• My Christian denomination
• My church
• My friends
• The piano
• The drums
• Most other instruments that I haven't already mentioned
• The Internet
• Southern Gospel Music
• Conservative people that aren't afraid to stand up against the crazy ideas that liberals have (abortion, gay marriage, ect.)
• Obama is very likely getting voted out of office soon!
• Good movies (which I don't watch very many of)
• Good books
• Vacations
• Fun
• Computers and most other electronic equipment like Android Phones, Laptops, Wifi, ect.

I think that list will suffice for now.  So Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Inspirations

I made a comment on another SG blog a while back about not really liking a particular couple of SG groups.  One of the groups I mentioned was the Inspirations.  I’ve thought about this comment since I posted it, and realized that perhaps the statement wasn’t completely true.

While the Inspirations certainly aren’t my favorite group, and not even in my top 10 or anything like that, they do have some good songs.  They also seem to be more “conservative” than some other groups.  The main thing I don’t like about them is their music.  No drums and no orchestras.  It mainly consists of piano, and different guitars and stringed instruments.  You can’t label them as bluegrass, but they’re certainly not mainstream modern Southern Gospel music.

One particular song that I’ll mention, is “Cry For the Children.”  It deals with abortion, which, unfortunately, doesn’t get sung about much in Southern Gospel music.  It says that we’re concerned about things like the earth’s atmosphere and recycling, but we daily kill innocent babies.  Actually, this song, and the others from the same album did have drums.  I’m not sure what the reason for the change was though.  Now we’ll just have to work on that orchestra.  :)

Some other good Inspirations’ songs include:

• I Know Where He Lives
• Dealing With Gold
• Stone’s Throw Away
• If You Only Knew
• How Great It Is
• The Rose
• God Makes No Mistakes
• I Choose the Lord

I had to admit that when I listened to their latest album God Makes No Mistakes, it wasn’t quite as bad as I kind of expected it to be.  It won’t win “Album of the Year,” and might not be worth paying $15 for, but it’s not that bad.

DVD Review: Legacy Five "California Live"

What Happens:
Legacy Five starts out singing “I’d Like To Say it Again” from their 2010 Give the World a Smile CD.  The biggest negative aspect of this song, I think, is that the guys aren’t holding their microphones, but rather they have them in front of them in the stand.  It seems to limit movement, and make the song a little “stiff.”  Other than that, it’s a great song.

Next the group sings “My Soul Is Firmly Anchored,” an up-beat fun song from Just Stand.  They leave the mic stands behind for this one.  I think this majorly improves a performance, as they are free to move around a bit more.   This is one of the best songs on the DVD, I think.  On a side note, Scott Fowler sings the first verse’s lyrics slightly different than on the CD.

Up to this point, there have been no introductions, and hardly any talking.  Just singing.  But at this point, Scott Fowler (who does most of the song lead-ins) stops the singing to read the account of the Resurrection.  He can’t find the book of Luke however, which causes some laughter from the audience and a joke from Glenn Dustin.  :)  As he reads the account, the intro to the next song starts and we listen to “When They Found Nothing.”  It’s a very good song, and Gus does a good job with some power singing.

Directly after this song, the group starts into the fast paced “New Born Feeling,” which is, like the last two, from the album Just Stand.  Trey does some cool stuff on the piano, that I don’t believe I heard on the CD version.  The guys move around a little during this fun song, but they don’t dance or have any choreography, thankfully.

It’s on this DVD that I really see Trey’s talent on the piano, a lot more so than on his CD It Is Well.  He plays a classical song first, teasing Scott Fowler, and then goes into “How Great Thou Art.”  I’ve heard better performances of this song, though this version isn’t bad.  Slowing down the first verse might be a bit of an improvement.  I really like this part of the video.  The guys tease Trey a lot because he’s been classically educated, and plays…Scarlotti.  :)

After a little break, which is taped in some studio or back room with all the guys, we move on to one of the most over-used songs in Southern Gospel music…“Life Will Be Sweeter Someday.”  I really don’t like this song, especially since so many groups have sung it.  Ernie Haase & Signature Sound and Mercy’s Well immediately come to mind.

The only accompaniment to this song is by Trey at the piano.  Gus makes it fun however by pretending to be offended when the audience doesn’t applaud some fancy stuff with a drop and four-part harmony.  He also holds a note out a long time, which I consider a highlight.

The next song, “I Can Hardly Wait,” is a completely different than the one that the Kingsmen sang on their latest album Grace Says.  I personally have never heard L5 sing it before, nor do I ever wish to hear it again.  :)  OK, I’m exaggerating a bit, but I still don’t care for it.  The accompaniment is very basic, with piano, drums, and guitars.  It’s a very old Southern Gospel style, like what the Cathedrals would have sung with.  Glenn Dustin gets to sing the verses, and is featured very prominently throughout the rest of the song.

Next Scott Howard gets an intro, in the same “studio” type room I mentioned earlier.  Of course he takes the lead on the song directly following this introduction, “Above All Circumstances.”  This is another really great song from Just Stand.

The next introduction is for Glenn, L5’s bass that’s been with them from the beginning.  IMO, the jokes here aren’t as good as the rest of the DVD.  But the song doesn’t disappoint.  “Just Stand” is a very fun, fast, rocky song that IMO is one of the groups’ best.  Anyway, “Just Stand” is really good, and even shows Trey playing the piano during a type of “interlude.”  If you’re confused about my meaning of the word “interlude,” think about Gordon Mote’s little piano highlight during the GVB’s “Give It Away” song.

The next song is another fast tune called “Thankful For the Change.”  It’s fun with lots of horns and brass instruments.  A hand-clapping, foot stomping regular barn-burner.

Finally, L5 digs a little deeper into their song catalog and pulls out “Holy Is Thy Name” from the album London.  IMO, the fact that the song is only accompanied by Trey at the piano, is a bit of a downer, especially since the next song has no other instrumentation either.  Three out of thirteen songs with only piano accompaniment seems a bit too much for me.

For the second to last song, the group sings an old Gaither favorite, “Something About That Name.”  This isn’t a spectacular song, but it’s not that bad for a song with zero orchestration.

For the last song, we get to hear “We Shall See Jesus,” from one of L5’s most recent albums, Give the World a Smile.  I love this song because it starts out with a kind of “sad” and “depressing” mood, but then picks up the pace, and get’s very glorious and triumphant sounding.  It’s not my favorite L5 song obviously, but it’s good nonetheless.

Technical Aspects:
The camera quality was very good, though the picture gets slightly blurry when I play it full screen in Windows Media Player.  The sound quality was mostly fine as well, although there are a couple of spots where it doesn’t sound quite as good as it should.  This is almost imperceptible though, especially watching for the first time.  It’s definitely not worth griping about, and is hardly worth mentioning.

Comments:
This DVD draws it’s song selection largely from the album Just Stand.  This was a good move, IMO, because Just Stand was a really good album packed with awesome songs.  It deserves its own DVD.  While I think Frank Seamans was my favorite L5 tenor, I’m starting to like Gus Gaches a lot better.

A couple of things I would have changed, is perhaps making the DVD longer (about an hour and half maybe) and taking out some songs like “Life Will Be Sweeter” and “Something About That Name.”  Also, the concert, I think, would have benefited from more "talking."  Live In Music City had perhaps too much, and this one didn’t have enough.  These observations are personal preferences though, and the DVD is still great without these changes being made.

If you’re short on money, you’ll probably want to go with getting a new CD.  However, if you’re a DVD person, I would recommend California Live .

DVD Rating:  4.3 stars
Song Selection: 3.5 stars
Favorite Songs: "Just Stand," "When They Found Everything," "My Soul Is Firmly Anchored," "How Great Thou Art" (Trey Ivey)

Review copy provided by artist

Review: Stetler Trio "Precious Friend"

Shout to the Lord - This song is much the same as the version on Forgiven’s summer release.  Most of it is nearly identical, although there are some notable changes, especially at the beginning  of the song, and with the piano.  And of course since Milton Smith produced the orchestrations for both CDs, and Julia Stetler was in both groups, the two songs will sound alike.

What a Precious Friend - I saw the Stetler Trio perform this song live when I went to a Christian event.  It’s a nice song.  Not really fast, but not too slow either.  It’s fairly light with a nice use of the organ and strings.  Part of “What a Friend We Have In Jesus” is sung as well as the title song.  This song was originally sung by the Kingdom Bound Quartet.

Happiness Is - This is the first song I ever heard from the album, which I found on YouTube.  It’s OK, but I wish more instrumentation would have been utilized.  I hear a piano, drums, and bass guitar.  It’s fast and jazzy.

Total Praise Medley - Slowing down the pace, we hear “Total Praise Medley” which was written by Richard Smallwood.  The orchestration is pretty heavy through different parts, but not the whole way through.  It’s a pretty song.  I like it, but just don’t have much to say about it.

Made Me Glad - I don’t have much to say about this song either, other than that it’s really good.  This is one of the few songs that Elisa (Stetler) Calderon gets a verse (or part of one anyway) to herself.  Her voice sounds older and more mature's than Julia's does.  That's not to say that Julia isn't a good singer!

More Than Wonderful - Written by Lanny Lavon Wolf, this song was formerly sung by Sandi Patty and the Gaither Vocal Band.  This version is really good and has some great power singing.  The chorus says:

For He’s more wonderful than my mind can conceive
He’s more wonderful than my heart can believe
He goes beyond my highest hopes and fondest dreams
He’s everything that my soul every longed for, 
Everything that he promised and so much more
He’s more than amazing, more than marvelous, more than miraculous could ever be
He’s more than wonderful, that’s what Jesus is to me

It’s an awesome song.  The music isn't as good as GVB's, but the singing is much better than Sandi Patty's.

He Washed My Eyes With Tears - This is a bit faster, and a bit less serious than some other songs, but not as much so as say “Happiness Is.”  It’s not a very strong IMO, but it’s OK.

Trust His Heart Medley - Very good lyrics.  The orchestration is nice and pretty light, although it gets a bit heavier in places.  We hear the organ playing in the second song which gives a nice sound.  

Isn’t It Amazing - If I were to write a full review of each slow song, the descriptions would probably be about the same.  “Isn’t It Amazing” is good just like “Trust His Heart Medley,” “Made Me Glad” and the others.  Sure they’re different songs, words, tunes, instrumentations, but I fear that I will repeat myself, so I’ll just say that this song was really good, like the others.

We Press On - I don’t like this one as well as some of the others.  The words and tune don’t really “grab me.”  The music can be compared to that of the other ballads.  Elisa handles the verses.  I’m not sure if I like her voice as well as Julia’s, but she’s not bad.

Will You Love Jesus More - I could entertain you with clever lines and tender words.  But if all I did was entertain you, I have failed in my mission.  When you leave this place, will you love Jesus more?  This needs to be the  theme song for all Christian musical artists to an extent.  They need to remember that the most important thing they could do is to tell sinners about Jesus’ saving grace.  They’re not just there to entertain, though that can be part of their purpose.  I believe the Booth Brothers sang this before.

Jesus Is Coming Medley - This is the same song that Greater Vision did on Hymns of the Ages.  The Stetlers sang it faster, while GV held back more.  It’s a pretty song, but probably could be improved by slowing down at the beginning.  The song seems too rushed.

Comments:
Precious Friend really is a good CD, but it could have been improved.  For one thing, there should have been at least two more (maybe three or four more!) fast songs.  There were only two truly fast songs when you count “Shout to the Lord.”  There are others such as “He Washed My Eyes With Tears” and “What a Precious Friend” that were maybe more fun, but not really that up-tempo.  You could compare this to saying that “Holy Hands” by the Triumphant Quartet or “Nothing’s Worrying Me” by the Collingsworth Family is fast.  Most of the ballads are really good, but some more up-tempo numbers would be awesome.

• You can buy the CD here.

Rating: 4.5 stars
Song Selection: 4-4.5 stars
Favorite Songs: “More Than Wonderful,” “What a Precious Friend,” “Will You Love Jesus More?” “Total Praise Medley,” “Isn’t It Amazing,” and others

CREDITS:
Vocals: Elisa Stetler Calderon, Julia Stetler, Paul Stetler
Producers: Paul Stetler, Chas Payson
Piano: Paul Stetler
Bass: Darrell Lacy
Drums: Todd Walker
Orchestrations: Milton Smith 
Arrangements: The Stetler Trio
Studio: Echo Beach Studios (Jupiter, FL)
Engineer: Chas Payson
Photography: Churchill Photography (Hobe Sound FL)
Graphic Design: Brandon Hilligoss (Cincinnati OH)
Clerical Assistance: Lynn Hughes

Review copy not provided

Bass or Tenor: Which is More Manly?

When I think of the word “manly,” I think of strong athletic guys with deep voices.  Maybe this isn’t the picture you have, but it is mine.  A while back, some of my friends asked me which harmony part I thought was more manly: tenor or bass.

Obviously the bass part fits in a little better with the macho guy description.  The word “manly” means:

conventionally typical of man: having or showing qualities conventionally thought to be characteristic of or appropriate to a man, especially physical strength or courage 
(Encarta ® World English Dictionary)

 I think people sometimes equate a man with a higher voice as “geeky” or not as masculine as others.  But I love the tenor part, especially when it’s used in power singing.  There’s just something about singers hitting those high notes that I love.

So while the bass part might be thought of as more manly, tenor, I think, is a lot of the time, more fun.  :)

This video features Legacy Five's former tenor, Frank Seamans, with some great power singing. (near the end)

Another Legacy Five video, this time with their bass, Glenn Dustin taking the lead.

Where Can I Get "Strength For the Journey"?

Does anybody know where I can get the old Collingsworth album Strength For the Journey?  Up until last night, I didn't even know it existed!  But now that I do know, I'm anxious to get a copy of it.  I don't care if it be a digital or physical copy.  It's hard to find since it's out of print. (or out of recording :P)  I'd appreciate it somebody could guide me to a download site or eBay or Amazon listing or something.  Thanks!

Review: Booth Brothers "Let It Be Known"

First John - This song has nothing to do with John…at all.  Is “John” a musical term maybe?  Perhaps one of readers can enlighten my ignorance.  :) It’s a weak song, mainly because it’s accapella.  It’s downright boring, not worth listening to, and definitely not worth putting on a CD in the space where a good song could have fit.  1 star

See What a Morning - With “See What a Morning” we go from no music to a lot of music.  This song is very fast and majestic sounding.  The group pulled out all the stops.  Strings, horns, and the works.  We hear part of the song “He Arose” a couple of times.

She Still Remembers Jesus’ Name - If you think you’ve heard this song before, you’re probably right.  This is the radio single for Let It Be Known.  It describes a woman who has dementia, and can’t  even remember her husband who died just last fall, or her oldest son’s name.  Even though she can’t remember these things,  she remembers Jesus and his amazing grace.  She remembers the song “Rock of Ages Cleft For Me” and John 3:16.  The music is lighter with a lot of piano, strings, and guitars strumming softly in the background.  It’s a really good song, although I’m not quite sure that it’s deserving of radio single.

He’s So Good To Me - This is a fun song.  Fast and more traditional.  I don’t have much of anything else to say about it.

When You Bow At Jesus’ Feet - I think musically, this song can be compared in ways to “Try Jesus.”  The music has a familiarity to it, as well as parts of the tune.  “When You Bow at Jesus’ Feet” has lighter music, with no drums.  It’s a refreshing change from the heavy percussion that dominates the Southern Gospel genre.

Since Jesus Came - Picking up the pace we have “Since Jesus Came.”  Most of the other up-tempo numbers are pitched in a higher key.  This one seems lower, especially near the beginning and up to the second verse.  The words say that life is worth living since Jesus came to live inside.

Masterpiece of Mercy - This has a completely style and sound than “When You Bow at Jesus’ Feet” but it’s still a really good ballad.  It has a pretty acoustic sound, with a bit of an old country feel.

Let It Be Known - This song is in a pretty contemporary style.  Obviously not as much as actual CCM songs, but it’s still progressive.  If you like that kind of music, then you should like this one.  It’s actually very good.  Lots of electric guitars, and heavy percussion

The Master’s Table - This song retains just a teensy (VERY teensy) bit of the progressive flavor that makes up the last one, due to some electric guitars heard every once in a while.  Especially at the beginning, it sounds more progressive that it actually is.  I don’t really care for this track as much as the last two ballads.  It seems to kind of drag on, like the song “Look For Me At Jesus’ Feet.”

Bread Upon the Water - Just to be clear, this is a completely different song than “I Cast My Bread Upon the Water” by Gold City.  This one is much faster, and more jazzy.  It has some fun instrumentation including some trumpets and horn sounds, and an awesome beat.  It would probably be pretty successful in a concert setting.  It features some power singing, which people tend to like.  5 stars

What About Now - Wow, this has a long intro!  It lasts almost a minute and two seconds! (1:02)  It has a very unique sound.  Acoustic and kind of “lonely.”  It’s the kind of music that you might hear in a deserted desert scene in a movie.  The message is basically this: Are you right with God now?  It doesn’t matter that you joined a church a long time, or that you got right with God way back when.  But it matters that you love him right now.  Is there evidence of it?  Can people look at you and see that he’s living in you.  If the length of this track wasn’t 6:10, I’d say it should be the radio single.  It has a very Biblical, timely, message, and the music is awesome.  It’s very light until about 4:03 where it kicks into high (and I mean very high) gear.  The group “hums” “First John” at the end.  This is what makes it so long.  If they had left this part out, they could have kept it at near five minutes and chosen it for radio.

Cover Art - The art for this album is extremely well done.  Every thing from color scheme, to fonts, to arrangement is truly a work of art.

Comments:
The first time I heard this CD, I didn’t see why everybody has made such a fuss about it.  People seemed to really like the project, but I wasn’t that impressed.  So I kind of skimmed the CD, listening to the fast songs, and falling asleep on the ballads.  But after finally hearing the rest of the songs, I’ve changed my opinion.  It has some very solid ballads, and some catchy up-tempo songs.  From an eleven-track album, we get about seven 5-star songs, with three others ranging from 3.5-4 stars.  Only one song, “First John,” is truly not very good.  The Booth Brother's have created a winner.  Consider Let It Be Known when you look to expand your music collection.


CD Rating: 4.5 stars
Song Selection: 4 stars
Favorite Songs: “What About Now,” “He’s So Good to Me,” “When You Bow at Jesus’ Feet,” “Bread Upon the Water,” and others

Review copy provided by Daywind Records.

Video: Stetler Trio "Happiness Is"

This is a song off of a CD I'm planning to post a review of soon.

Time to Slow Down

I’ve posted a lot of reviews since I started the Gospel Review Blog.  But as I’ve been thinking it over, I’ve thought that maybe I should slow down.  Daniel Mount said something on his blog that got me to thinking.  He said something to the effect of “If I post all the good CD reviews as soon as I get them, I won’t have enough good projects to post the rest of the time, when album production is down.”  I’ve noticed that after NQC, the number of new albums decrease for a time.  It’s only through a bit of luck that I’ve started obtaining review copies of CDs, and I’ll probably have to slow down with the p0sting, perhaps only post one or so reviews a week.  Of course that leaves the question, what is to fill in for the rest of the week?  YouTube videos I suppose, articles of course (which are hard to find a topic for so I won’t post a whole lot of those), news, which I can’t and won’t try to take on reporting.  I’ll going to think and try to come up with some other ideas, as I don’t want the blog to get boring.  I don’t want my traffic to drop because I’m only posting reviews.  I’d appreciate it if you, my readers, would take a minute or so to make some suggestions for what you’d like to see here.

Anyway, here’s a list of upcoming album reviews that I’m going to try spacing out:

• Stetler Trio - Precious Friend
• Booth Brothers - Let It Be Known
• Gerald Crabb - Sometimes I Cry
• Libbi Perry Stuffle - Journey
• The Chigger Hill Boys and Terri - Indescribable
• Marshall Hall - Brighter One
• Wilburn and Wilburn - Family Ties
• Ernie Haase & Signature Sound - A White Christmas (hopefully)

And along with the regular albums, here’s one to post every week as well.  Some older Holiday projects:

• Legacy Five - A Little Christmas
• Ernie Haase & Signature Sound - Every Light That Shines At Christmas
• Greater Vision - A Greater Vision Christmas (not sure about this one yet)

Review: Ernie Haase &Signature Sound "Every Light That Shines At Christmas"

He Started the Whole World Singing/O Come All Ye Faithful - “He Started the Whole World Singing” is nice and has a pretty tune, especially on the chorus.  It kind of reminds me of “Since Jesus Passed By,” as it only has one verse, and then repeats the chorus several times.  Although I’m not a big fan of kids choirs, the one featured on here, wasn’t too bad. The orchestration really picks up on “Oh Come All Ye Faithful.”  5 stars

Mr. Heat Miser - This CD has a fair share of weird songs that don’t really have any point.  This is probably the biggest pointless song, although it’s kind of fun to listen to.  :)  The chorus says:

He's Mr. Heat Miser, He’s Mr Snow.  He’s Mr. Icicle, He’s Mr. ten below.
Friends call me snow miser, whatever I touch turns to snow in my clutch, I'm too much

That gives you an idea of how strange the lyrics really are.  This song was possibly directed toward kids?  Another observation about several of the songs, including this one, is that the group talks at the beginning.  For example, at the beginning, Ernie says that he wants it to be cold for Christmas, and Tim Duncan says that he wants it to be hot since he’s from the South.  It’s kind of like a mini-drama or something.  3 stars

Changed By a Baby Boy - I’ve only heard a 30-second clip of this jazzy clip, so I can’t really comment.

Thank God For Kids - Is it appropriate for Christian singers to sing about Santa Clause?  I don’t think it’s wrong necessarily, but I think performers need to be careful and not go overboard with it.  The reason I said that here, is because the first verse says:

If it weren’t for kids have you ever thought, there wouldn’t be a Santa Clause.

And in several other Christmas songs EH&SS has sung, they’ve referenced Santa Clause.  We hear so much of this from the world, shouldn’t Gospel singers sing about Jesus?  It’s not a big deal, just an observation.  This is kind of a neat song.  Well-written and interesting lyrics.  The verses are handled by Doug Anderson, if I’m not mistaken.  4 stars

Every Light That Shines At Christmas - This can be compared to “He’s My Guide,” in some aspects.  This is a fun song to listen to, but it’s not as good as some of the other tracks, such as “Marshmallow World.”  The guys come in for an “encore” type ending that fades out.  3.5 stars

Redeeming Love - Once again, I’ve only heard a 30-second clip of this song, as well as “All I Want Is You,” “Christmas In Indiana,” and “Changed By a Baby Boy.”

Marshmallow World - This has to be the best song on the CD!  Sleigh bells give it the classic Christmas feel, such as was captured a lot in Greater Vision’s “Everything Christmas.”  Fast, upbeat percussion adds to the fun.  Also this is another “talking” song.  (Refer to “Mr. Heat Miser”)  5 stars

Christmas Is Christmas (Wherever You Go) - This song has a special feature at the beginning, much the same as in “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow” on EH&SS’s 2011 project with the late George Younce.  A woman calls her family on the phone and wishes them a merry Christmas.  She apologizes that she won’t be able to be home for the holidays, explaining that she’s in the hospital, and that she just had a baby boy.  Next comes “Captain Thomas Smith” and his team in Baghdad, wishing their families back home a happy holidays.  There’s also some other people “calling home” throughout the rest of the song.  Once again, a kids choir comes in, which I don’t particularly care for.  2.5 stars

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - I don’t really care for this song as much as the others, mainly because it’s accapella.  I love music.  It harmony is good though, and the group does some neat stuff.  3 stars


If It Doesn’t Snow On Christmas - This is probably the song that talks about Santa the most.  The group sings that they’re worried about how Santa will bring the sleigh if it doesn’t snow.  They wish he could fly a plane and even offer to loan him their bus.  It almost seems as if the writer was trying to put into kids’ minds, doubt about old Saint Nicholas.  3 stars

Silent Night - Ack!  Another accapella number.  It’s one, or, perhaps even two too many!  This one wasn’t as good as “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”  Actually it’s not completely without instrumentation.  The strings section comes in lightly near the end.  2 stars

Light A Candle - Light a candle for the old man who sits at the frosty window pane, and the lonely woman, and the children who need more than presents, and the homeless and hungry, and the broken and the forgotten.  This song would make sense if it was coming from a Christian point of view.  But it seems that it’s coming more from a politically correct, liberal agenda.  I guess a more accurate description would be to say that it’s not overtly Christian.  God isn’t even mentioned.  It sounds like a song you might hear on some movie like The Polar Express or from some secular artist.    4 stars for the song, but it should Christian references

Amen - The chorus is literally the word “amen” over and over again with alternating group members singing something different.  You can hear the kids choir in the background again, which isn’t too bad for this particular song.  This is a very charismatic song, like what a black choir would sing.  3 stars

Comments:
Every Light That Shines At Christmas is a fairly good project.  It has a lot of good songs, although it does have a few negative aspects.  It wouldn’t have hurt to ease up a bit on the secular songs.  I don’t think Signature Sound will be going rock or country on us anytime soon, but they are a Gospel group, and should probably be singing more Christ-centered music.  The best fast song is “Marshmallow World,” and the best slow song is “He Started the Whole World Singing.”  I  would recommend this CD if you're looking for good Christmas music.

CD Rating: 4 stars
Song Selection: 4.5 stars
Favorite Songs: “He Started the Whole World Singing,” “Marshmallow World,” “Light a Candle,” “Thank God For Kids”

Review: Kingdom Heirs "It's Christmas

The Christmas Waltz - Smooth and light with a hint of jazz, “The Christmas Waltz” doesn’t do much for me.  Horns, strings, a little bit of piano, and percussion mainly.  3 stars

Hark the Herald Angels Sing - While I don’t really care for the last track, this song would have to be it’s opposite.  I love it!  It’s moderately fast and is actually a Christian song.  Great harmony, good heavier music makes for a 5 star song!  Definitely in the top 3, if not the best song on the CD!

Hay Baby - I think this is song is kind of disrespectful.  Something about “Hay Baby” rubs me the wrong way.  When I first heard this track, I thought of Gold City’s “Look Who Just Checked In.”  As for the music, it’s not very Christmas-y.  Pretty country influenced, not rocky, but fast.  2.5 stars

Go Thee Down - Light ballad, actually one of the only slow songs on the CD.  It’s not at all progressive but very traditional.  There’s not a lot of orchestration, which is fine.  I don’t want people to get the impression that I can’t stand light ballads.  Not at all.  While I prefer heavier orchestration, I do enjoy listening to some light songs as well.  I imagine I would get tired of big ballads after a while, if that was all there was.  4 stars

Here Comes Santa Claus - Love the jazzy piano, love the backup singers, love the sleigh bells.  It would have been nice if the whole group had sung instead of just the (bass?) singer.  While this song is about old Saint Nick, it actually refers to Santa knowing that we’re God’s children.  Go figure.  3.5 stars

Oh Come All Ye Faithful - More progressive sounding than traditional, “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” has a nice acoustic sound.   That’s not to say that it’s rocky in the least, but it doesn’t sound like a traditional Southern Gospel song.  It’s a nice track with good music.  The whole group comes in for “encore” type repeat at the end.  4.5 stars

Who Do You Think - People are whispering, there’s a woman who’s gonna have a baby even though she’s not married.  Her name is Mary, she’s a virgin from Nazareth, she’s gonna marry Joseph, but the baby’s father is the Holy Ghost.

The tune to “Who Do You Think” sounds so familiar, and maybe even some of the words!  It’s possible that perhaps I heard this at a Kingdom Heirs concert when I went to Dollywood this summer.  That would be kind of weird though, since this a Christmas-themed song, and as I said, I went to Dollywood in the summer.  ;)  The music is nice, light, and fast.  It’s a good song, although perhaps a little bit long.  It has a Country/Classic Southern Gospel sound.  5 stars

That Little Baby - This is one of the rockiest songs I have ever heard from the Kingdom Heirs.  (One that might compete is “I’m A Brand New Man”)  The recurring (bass guitar?) playing in the background, as well as electric guitars, piano, organ, and percussion give it a very rock-influenced feel.  At first I didn’t think it was an amazing song, but after listening several times, I think it’s growing on me.  5 stars

Beautiful Star of Bethlehem - This song is largely acoustic sounding, but it doesn’t draw exclusively from that feeling like songs such as “That’s the Place I’m Longing To Go” (Collingsworth Family) do.  3.5 stars

Winter Wonderland - The Kingdom Heir’s version of the classic Christmas hit “Winter Wonderland” is very, very jazzy.  In fact, it would probably find itself right at home on a secular jazz album.  One thing I noticed about the lyrics is where the following was sung:

In the meadow we can build a snowman 
and pretend that he’s a circus clown  
We’ll have lots of fun with Mr. Snowman 
Til all the other kiddies knock em’ down


I never noticed that part about the kiddies knocking the snowman down before.  Was that part of the original song?  Hmm…  4 stars

The Christmas Song - Well, for a minute I was kind of disappointed, thinking “The Christmas Song” was accapella.  Thankfully, it just started out that way.  The music started after a minute of singing minus the instrumentation.  3.5 stars

Comments:
It’s Christmas is a pretty good project, though not as good as some.  It’s not packed full of solid hits IMO, although it does have a few 5-star tunes, as well as some more average-rated songs.  Whether you should buy it or not all depends on your personal musical preferences.

CD Rating: 3.5 stars
Song Selection: 4.5 stars
Favorite Songs: “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “Oh Come All Ye Faithful,” “Who Do You Think,” “That Little Baby”

Review copy provided by Crossroads Music

Review: Tribute Quartet "The Waiting Is Over"

Songs of Zion - Starting out relatively slow, “Songs of Zion” gets faster halfway through the intro.  It could be compared to Greater Vision’s “No Longer Chained” although the music on this track has more instrumentation.  This is a nice fast song.  It’s not as happy perhaps as “Bring on the Joy” or “Marshmallow Christmas” (Ernie Haase & Signature Sound) but it’s still fun to listen to.  We hear the chorus to “Tell Me the Story of Jesus” near the end of the song, although the word “tell” is replaced with “sing.”  5 stars

Makes Me Want to Go - In my mind, this song can be to others such as “I’ll See You Over There.”  The music is somewhat similar with the guitars and other instruments, and the group even sounds a bit like Soul’d Out Quartet in parts of the song.  Not too much, but there are hints of resemblance.

Bring On the Joy - Here’s the happiest song on the CD, which you probably could guess from the title.  It’s a bit obnoxious in places (such as at the end), but mostly it’s not too bad.  The organ is fun, and gives a nice sound.  A choir comes in to sing the chorus a couple of times at the end.  3.5 stars

Jesus Is Alive - This song isn’t slow exactly, but it’s more serious, so it might give that impression.  The orchestration is pretty heavy, which of course is fine with  me.  The track features some really good power singing.  5 stars


Homecoming Day  - Really slowing down the pace this time, we have a fairly light ballad.  (at the beginning at least)  “Homecoming Day” probably won’t be remembered as a classic or a hit, although it is a terrific song.  I don’t really care for the first verse, though the second is slightly better.  There’s a choir, again, that comes in to sing the chorus and ending.  We don’t hear a lot of choirs in quartet music, although they are introduced on occasion, such as in “Jesus Saves” by the Mike Lefevre Quartet, and some different songs by Greater Vision (yes I know, a trio, not a quartet) and Signature Sound.  4.5 stars

More Than Able - Yes, this is the same song sung by Greater Vision on Live At First Baptist Atlanta.  If I had to compare the two, I’d probably say that GV’s is the best.  I can’t listen to Greater Vision’s version right now though, because a bunch of my GV/L5/Cathedrals/and other music mysteriously disappeared from my MP3 player a while back.  3.5 stars

The I Am - The first verse says that God has many different names that he is known by, but that the favorite (from the viewpoint of the singers obviously) is “I Am.”  I like the words at the end that state:

He Is I Am.

4 stars

There Is a City - Fast, fun, song.  Verse reminds me of another song that I can’t think of.  5 stars

The Climb - This song isn’t amazing, but it has some pretty instrumentation.  Some nice organ work, with percussion, piano, and soft guitars is pretty much all there is to the music.  It’s a nice light track.  Not mellow, but still soft.  I’m not really sure what all the lyrics mean.  3.5 stars

There Is a City - Fast song, with fun electric guitars.  Nothing spectacular, again, and not a hit.  But it’s OK.  A little bit of power singing near the end.  3 stars

Save My Friends, Save My Friends - This is a nice ballad that’s pretty mellow.  And it’s right where people are today.  I know so many people who have unsaved loved ones, especially unsaved children.  Part of the second verse says:

We all have friends so dear, living like they think they’re doing fine

Isn’t this so true?  It’s sad to see people that have grown up in a Christian home, that are mixed up in drugs, alcohol, sex, smoking, and all the other things that they find pleasure in.  This song really has a good message to it, especially since it’s so close to home with a lot of people.  4 stars

Comments:
If you like quartet music, then you should enjoy The Waiting Is Over.  It has some great fast songs, as well as some more serious songs like “Jesus Is Alive,” and “Save My Family, Save My Friends.”  I encourage you to consider getting it.  While it’s not quite as good as some of the years’ releases like Part of the Family, or We Will Stand Our Ground it’s better than a lot of the others like the Dove Brothers’ Unshakeable and IMO maybe better than Perrys’ Blue Skies Coming.  You can download a digital copy of the album, or purchase a physical copy at: www.crossroadsmusic.com.

Rating: 5 stars
Song Selection: 4.5 stars
Favorite Songs: “Songs of Zion,” “Makes Me Want to Go,” “Jesus Is Alive,” “Homecoming Day,” “The I Am”

Digital review copy provided by Crossroads Music

Review: Greater Vision "Everything Christmas"

With Christmas fast approaching, I thought I’d start reviewing some Christmas projects.  So I’ll start with Greater Vision’s latest addition to the Holiday catalog.  I’ll try to review some projects by EH&SS, Palmetto State Quartet, and some more later.

Everything Christmas (Overture) - This song covers parts of several of the songs that are played throughout the rest of the CD.  Maybe that’s why it’s called an “overture.”  ;)  There are several songs that are not played later, such as “The First Noel,” some unidentifiable song that says “Joy, joy, unspeakable joy,” several times, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,”  and some others.  To be clear, this is an instrumental, although it does have a choir in a couple places.  5 stars

There’s No Place Like Home For the Holidays/I’ll Be Home For Christmas:  My biggest problem with this song is that the verse of “There’s No Place Like Home For the Holidays” says: “Gee, the traffic is terrific.”  You say, so what?  Why is that a problem?  Well, I know a lot of people don’t really know this, but “gee” as well as “gosh” and “golly,” is a substitute for “Jesus.”  And the Bible says not to take the name of the Lord in vain.  Obviously, Gerald Wolfe probably wasn’t thinking about this, for many people now use these interjections frequently.  Maybe  using these substitutes are not as bad as saying “Jesus” or “God,” but they still should not be used.

The music has an old feel to it, like something you’d hear in an old Christmas movie, or in the early 1900‘s.  This is the result of back-up singers, and it sounds neat.  5 stars (without the slang)

Sleigh Ride - What would Christmas be without hearing “Sleigh Ride”?  Ah, I love it.  Jazzy piano coordinates with orchestra and sleigh bells.  The only downer is the kids singing.  We don’t even hear Greater Vision.  4 stars (My rating probably would have boosted if the group had sung and the kids didn’t)

O Holy Night - While “O Holy Night” is significantly slower-paced than the last two songs, it still maintains the predominant Christmas feel.  Big orchestration at the end, classic Christmas.  Even though I don’t care for the actual song, I have to give it a high rating, for Greater Vision did a great job.   The Christmas flavor and the big orchestration and choir at the end was really good.  4.5 stars

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Chris Allman gets a solo here which I don’t think was a smart move.  I’m not criticizing his ability to sing, but there’s nothing like the rich harmony of a group.  Thankfully a choir helps throughout most of the song, but it’s still not the same as lead, tenor, and baritone, blending together for a classic Christmas melody.  3 stars (higher if the whole group had sang)

I Heard the Bells - If I’m not mistaken, Chris was the only group member that actually sang the words of this song.  The other guys may have harmonized and hummed the tune, but it was mainly Chris and the choir.  Perhaps because he was newer to the group when this album was produced?  2 stars

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - The music almost has a jungle sound to it!  I know that might sound kind of weird for a Christmas album, but the beat of the drums, and the flutes give me that impression.  And finally, the whole group sings together again, starting out in unison, and progressing into harmonization.  The orchestration gets heavier and much more frequent as the song advances.  3.5 stars

Do You Hear What I Hear - The intro sounds very majestic and royal, something straight out of a movie about, like, Rome or something.  I don’t really care for this song.  It just doesn’t do a lot for me.  But Greater Vision has improved some weaker songs (IMO) with good soundtracks.  Whoever produced this project did an excellent job.  3.5 stars

A Cradle In Bethlehem - This is probably the weakest song on the project musically and lyrically, IMO, with perhaps the exception of “Grace Has a Face (Hope Has Hands)” which I have not heard.  I guess this is just not my style, as well as that it’s not classic, and it’s pretty simple. (musically at least)  If you like lighter stuff, this is for you.

Comments:
This is a definite must-hear Christmas album.  It has a few things that could be improved, but mostly, it’s great!  The music is phenomenal.  If you’re looking for good, quality, Christian, Christmas albums, get Everything Christmas.

CD Rating: 5 stars
Song Selection: 4 stars
Favorite Songs: “There’s No Place Like Home…,” “Everything Christmas (Overture),” “O Holy Night,” and others

Has Southern Gospel Become Too Entertaining?

You go to a concert, clap your hands, relax for a couple of hours, meet the performers, buy a CD, and go home.  You have fun and get entertained.  But have concerts become too entertaining?  Has the "fun" aspect of a performance become too important?  There's nothing wrong with having fun.  I'll be the first to say that.  But this is Christian music.  Should we be at a concert more to worship God, or more to have a good time?

In the book of Psalms we can find the word "praises" 22 times (I used the King James Version)  We find the word "praise" 160 times, usually in reference to praising the Lord, or his name.  "Praised" is found six times.  This is just in Psalms.  There are other verses throughout the Bible, that talk about giving thanks, or praise to God.  Hebrews 13:15 says:

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."

In Luke chapter 19, as Jesus rode into the city, people were shouting praises to him.  The Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke them and he said:

"I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." (Luke 19:40)

God is worthy of praise, and he loves it when his children praise him.  It used to be commonplace for people to shout and praise the Lord and even run the aisles.  This doesn't happen much anymore.  People, today, don't even like to testify.

And I think this has happened to an extent with Gospel concerts.  I think the "praise" part been pretty much removed.   I think in some people's cases it has been replaced with praise and admiration for the performers.  Of course there's a time and a place for testimonies.  I don't think a concert, with hundreds of people, is the right time for someone to give their life story.  But we can still praise God in our hearts, raising our hand when a song speaks to us, or saying "amen" instead of cheering and screaming for an encore to “Didn’t It Rain.”  :)

On the other hand, we don't always have to be reading a book on theology, or handing out tracts in the inner city.  We should make time to have fun, and a concert can be a legitimate place to have it.  Christian's need solid entertainment, instead of the junk the world is trying to shove in our faces.  Life can be hard, and music has a way of cheering us up.  We go to church three times a week (or at least my family does), where we praise God and are fed spiritually.  But this can still be something to think about when you attend the next concert.

Are we praising God, or praising the people singing?

Review: Assurance "Holy Is Thy Name"

Pros:

• The group has great harmony.  You can really tell when they sing accapella on songs like "Blessed Assurance."
• While there's not very many up-tempo numbers, the few that are included are good.  "Blood-Washed Band" is the best fast song, and the best version I've ever heard.

Cons:

• The project would have benefited from more fast songs.  There were only two, which is a pretty poor number when compared with 7-8 ballads.
• The percussion section needs to be louder, and perhaps used more than it is.
• There are quite a few songs on this project that have been sung by major groups (Legacy Five, the Hoppers, the Cathedrals)  However, I'm not sure if this should be considered a negative element, because the songs are really good, and sound different (and in most cases) better than the other versions.

Notes:
The music is very "guitar based."  It provides a unique sound, one that isn't captured very often by Southern Gospel groups.  It's sort of refreshing, although I do miss the orchestration on some songs.  ;)

I would have made several changes if I had created the CD, but the producers did a good job with what they decided to put in.  This is a nice CD to listen to when you're kind of burned out with your regular collection.  If you want something lighter, consider Holy Is Thy Name.

CD Rating: 4 stars
Song Selection: 3 stars
Favorite Songs: Blood Washed Band, I Have Seen the Light, Redemption Draweth Nigh, I've Got That Old Time Religion (There are a couple others, but these are probably the best)

Track List: Blessed Assurance, Blood Washed Band, Haven of Rest, His Name is Wonderful, Holy Is Thy Name, I Believe in the Old Time Religion, I Have Seen the Light, I Am, I've Got That Old Time Religion, Redemption Draweth Nigh 


(NOTE: I don't have a list of the title tracks, so some of the titles are named from lines in the song, but may, in reality, be different.)

Is Contemporary Music Appropriate For Public Worship?

This seems to be a popular topic lately so I thought I'd throw in my two-cents, though it may go in a slightly different direction than the other articles on the subject.  Here's my question:

Is contemporary music appropriate for public worship?  

This is not an attack on the CCM genre, but I'm rather more questioning the time and place for it.

Traditional worship, obviously, has not disappeared completely.  Many churches have not yet switched to the "modern" music that we hear so much today.  But as you know, many "places of worship" have switched over. If you go to the big churches you might find "praise bands" and "worship teams."  In some cases these "teams" are dressed immodestly, and the bands are not much more than a rock group.  Nothing about them resembles Godliness or indicates that they're there to worship.  The music is loud and obnoxious, and does not bring glory to God, but is rather appealing to the audience and the performers.  Speaking of the performers, they're not even dressed in appropriate church attire, but rather, look like they're going to a street fight.

There are several problems with the picture I have just described.  For starters, 1st Corinthians 11:14 tells us that it is a shame for a man to have long hair, and that long hair on a women is a glory.  Sadly people don't follow this much anymore, even in the Church.  1st Timothy 2:9 speaks against immodesty, costly clothing, and the wearing of jewels.  (The performers are decked out in jewelry, even some of the men!)  Also 1st Corinthians 14:40 tells us that all things are to be done decently and in order.  Can you truthfully say that the type of service I described is decent and orderly?  People screaming into the microphone, working the crowd into a frenzy, the praise team dancing for all they're worth, and the musicians "playing" their instruments at a nearly deafening level?

Rock and Roll was a type of music that was started in rebellion.  It was never meant to bring glory to God.  Think about the '60s.  Rebellion, drugs, alcohol, sex, the whole nine yards.  Anti-authority, and anti-God.  These things were promoted openly in rock songs.  Some performances included spitting, vomiting, nudity, and profanity.  Some groups were epitomized by the men wearing makeup and singing witchcraft and devil-worshipping songs.  The lyrics were sensual and even well-known artists like Michael Jackson and Madonna began to sing songs that openly mentioned sex.  How is that kind of music, even with Christian words, acceptable in a church service?

Church leaders have welcomed rock music into their services, partly to try to get new people to come in.  Maybe they reasoned that sacred music wasn't appealing to sinners, so they had to get more "modern."  But that's a rather ridiculous argument.  God's word doesn't appeal to sinners, so should we stop reading the Bible in service?  Should we stop taking an offering,  because sinners certainly don't understand the concept of tithing 10% to God.  Well, perhaps we should stop praying.  I mean, it might not appeal to some people.  They could get offended and never come back.  In fact let's not even mention God, because some people get upset.  We'll just have coffee and donuts and sit there listening to rock music, hoping that new people will get saved even though they can't know about God's plan of salvation because we're too busy trying not to offend them by not talking about their creator.  ;)

I'm not totally adverse to rockier songs, such as we hear sometimes in Southern Gospel.  "I'm a Brand New Man" by the Kingdom Heirs is a good example.  That type of song is different than what rock actually sounds like.  I don't think that type of music should be played during a church service (at least not during worship), but I'm not against listening to it for fun.  An example of a song I might be more against is "Praying Man" by Brian Free and Assurance.  It's not simply fun and up-beat Southern Gospel, but comes pretty close to getting into the CCM genre.  That's not to say that I fault somebody else for listening to it, as long as they don't have a personal conviction against it.

I believe that there is a time and a place to listen to fun music, and there's a time to worship God.  We don't go to church to have fun.  That's not the point.  We're there to learn about God, and to worship our creator.  I don't think it will hurt us to give up our preferred type of music for an hour or so during a few services each week.  (To clarify, I don't listen to CCM, but I know a lot of people who do.  That's up to you and God, and I don't think you're a wicked sinner or whatever for listening to music that's rockier than what mine is.)  :)

NOTE: Some of the ideas and information presented in this article I got from the book "Church Music Matters" by Garen L. Wolfe.