CD Review: Ernie Haase & Signature Sound "Here We Are Again"

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot - This song, based on the old negro-spiritual, that was originally written by Wallis Willis, comes to life with the sound of a whirring movie projector.  It’s kind of a weird rendition of the song, especially when the group switches to using “mouth instruments,” as Yankee Gospel Girl put it (read her review here).  The song goes out as it came in, with the spinning projector sound.

Singing in the Midnight Hour - The last song sounded rather like a traditional quartet song, but this one is the opposite.  The style is pretty progressive, and fast.  Doug Anderson lends his signature sound (no pun intended) to the verses.  I don’t really like the style he lends here.  He can do and has done better.  The song has a good beat, but I can’t get past the vocal work.

Here We Are Again - This first ballad (I use that term loosely) has a slow country swing to it.  The group sings very traditionally, unlike “Singing In the Midnight Hour.”  I usually don’t care for these types of songs, but this one isn’t half bad!  I like hearing Ian Owens sing the first verse.

I Believe - I don’t have much to say about this track.  It’s a fairly big ballad.  The orchestration becomes especially heavy toward the end.  I don’t really like the song itself.

I’ve Been Here Before - The intro here leads you to think that a fast number is coming (the piano takes off at a pretty fast pace).  But once we get a little ways into the introduction, that assumption proves to be wrong.  It’s actually more of a bluesy medium-tempo song, rather than a toe-tapping, barn burner.

You Are Welcome Here - This is by far the best ballad on Here We Are Again, and probably the best song altogether.  The verses speak of a man, addicted and defeated, and a girl who’s been rejected by her friends and family (they couldn’t bear the choices she had made).  The song doesn’t elaborate on the bad choices made by the two, but I think we could hazard some pretty good guesses.  The chorus says:

You are welcome here; you are precious in His sight
Whatever you’ve done wrong, His love can make it right
So leave behind your troubled past, your guilt, and all your fear
My child, you are welcome here

Love Carried the Cross - From reading other reviews of Here We Are Again, this seems to be the favorite ballad for most people.  It is a good song, but I like “You Are Welcome Here” better, perhaps since it’s a story song.  This is the biggest power number on the album.

Stand By Me - I liked the soundtrack that Signature Sound in their first version of this song better.  The chorus for this soundtrack has a great beat, but other than that, it isn’t outstanding.  It’s more traditional than most of the other fast songs.

Everytime - Ernie is like a Chihuahua on espresso during this foot-stomping, hand-clapping, head-swinger!   It’s too hyper-active for me.  Also I don’t usually like talking and screaming in songs, especially on recorded studio versions.  This song belongs more on a VeggieTales CD or DVD rather than on a Southern Gospel quartet album.  It did have some cool sound effects, like a car alarm-sounding bit, and (geese?).

Sometimes I Wonder - This medium-paced song is distinct from the others, in that it sounds very acoustic.  As I listen to it, I think of songs like “Knowing You’ll Be There” (Gaither Vocal Band) and “If You Only Knew.” (Inspirations)  The subject-matter deals with deceased friends, though the songs rarely elaborate on who the person is, whether they were a family member, spouse, ect.  This song deserves a second listen.

Thankful - The tune to this song reminds me so much of the song “We Are So Blessed” (sung by the Cathedrals and Greater Vision).  It will probably get overlooked, as it’s not a particularly outstanding song, but it is very good nonetheless.

Any Other Man - This is without argument the most progressive song that I have ever heard Signature Sound sing.  Some might argue that “Get Away Jordan” or “Singing In the Midnight Hour” would be more progressive than this one, but those are more fast and energetic than contemporary.

Comments:
It’s been over three years since Signature Sound released an album with all-new songs.  That’s not to say that haven’t had a strong album in that same number of years.  On the contrary, A Tribute to the Cathedral Quartet was very good and stayed true to the Southern Gospel style.  The last project, George Younce With EH&SS, was a disappointment though.  The group needed some strong material, especially being as popular as they are.

I am rather disappointed with Here We Are Again.  It definitely has some good songs, but the track list is rather hit and miss.  The group still needs some solid up-tempo numbers, and perhaps even a couple of more outstanding ballads.

I have to admit, there’s something for nearly everyone on this CD.  Southern Gospel fans may enjoy “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” (I use the word “may” because as a fan of the style, I didn’t think the song was quite as “mainstream” as most quartet songs) and will like the ballads.  Contemporary and progressive fans will like “Any Other Man,” and “Singing In the Midnight Hour.”  Young fans and children should enjoy “Everytime.”

I personally have enjoyed other Signature Sound projects more, but I’ve also listened to CDs that rated about the same or worse.

If you haven't ordered the album yet, you can hear previews here to help you make up your mind.

Album Rating: 2.5-3 stars
Favorite Songs: “You Are Welcome Here,” “Thankful,” “Love Carried the Cross”
Main Styles: There are many different styles utilized during the album including Blues, Southern Gospel, Ballad, and Contemporary.  Traditional Southern Gospel fans will probably come away from the album feeling that it had a largely progressive feel.

Review copy provided by StowTown Records

Malware?

Recently, when I visit my blog from my laptop a page comes up saying that something's not right.  It says that my page could give malware to visitors if they proceed to view the page.  Here's what the warning looks like: (click to enlarge)

Has this happened to anyone else?  Please let me know, so I can work on the problem!

CD Review: Tim Duncan Solo Project

Let Your Fingers Do the Walkin’ (Through the Pages of God’s Word) - This is a medium-fast song, starting out the CD.  This is far from the strongest track, but it’s not particularly bad.  The backup singer (yes, that word is supposed to be in the singular), which I assume is Taranda Greene since she’s the only female vocalist that’s listed, is a little annoying.  I first listened to this song in the car, and thought that interference was somehow coming through the radio and playing along with the CD.  That’s how out of place she sounded.  After I realized that her voice was indeed playing from the CD, I could see how her voice fit in with the music, but her backup singing wasn’t a huge asset to the track.

Strong Hand - This is one of my favorite songs on this solo project.  It’s a soft, slow ballad.  Ryan Seaton joins Tim near the end as well as another vocalist which I can’t identify.

I’ve Never Heard a Real Love Song - Average track, with Taranda Greene helping with the chorus.  Is it just me, or does her voice here resemble Brian Free’s?

He Came Back - This is one of my favorite fast songs from this CD.  It’s not set at an extremely fast pace, but does have a slightly accelerated tempo.  I’m not sure why it‘s one of my favorites, because the lyrics aren’t incredibly profound.  But I do like the harmony, and I like the tune.

Dearest Friend I’ve Ever Had - This is one the fastest song on this album.  It’s unique because several of the backup singers, including Ryan Seaton (who takes the lead for most of the song), make up a quartet with Tim.  His voice actually isn’t that noticeable throughout much of the song, as he steps down to fill the role of a traditional quartet bass singer.

Take My Hand Precious Lord - Tim tells the story of the songwriter of this song, Thomas Dorsey, and how his wife had died giving birth to a baby who had also passed away.  As he tells the story, the piano plays softly in the background.  This proves to be the only instrument that accompanies for the song.  I love hearing Tim’s deep bass voice when he’s talking, so this track is a treat.  :)

I Will Be There - One question immediately comes to mind when you listen to this song: IS THAT TIM???  At first I thought it was one of the backup singers, perhaps Ron Fairchild or one of the others.  But one of my friends told me that, it was indeed, Tim Duncan.  For a bass singer, he sang this song extremely high.  I personally think he sounds better as a bass, but he didn’t do a horrible job when covering a higher range.  He sounds more like a CCM artist that a traditional Southern Gospel vocalist though.

Comments:
It seems that a lot of the former and current members of Signature Sound have made their own solo CDs.  Ryan Seaton has a project titled The Stage Is Bare.  Last year Doug Anderson made Dreamin’ Wide Awake.  Ernie Haase has, I believe, several older CDs.  And now Tim Duncan.  This is the first album we’ve heard from Tim, and he didn't do a bad job with it.

Looking at the CD cover leaves much to be desired.  It’s a flimsy cardboard case. (you know, kind of like the ones that the Collingsworth Family uses, and the Triumphant Quartet on Songs From the Heart, except that those are a little sturdier and have more flaps inside)  The graphic design is horrible, and the pictures are pretty bad.  It gets better though, when you take a listen to the music.

The music style that’s used throughout the whole CD is old country/old Southern Gospel.  None of the songs are progressive or rocky.  The style Tim uses is very traditional, which is a big contrast to, say, Dreamin’ Wide Awake.

I personally, don’t think I would buy this CD.  I don’t usually care for solo CDs.  I prefer quartets, trios or family groups.  This project is a little too traditional for me.  There are no progressive songs, no modern country flavored songs, no jazzy tracks, and no modern Southern Gospel styles.  While I do enjoy some traditional Southern Gospel, I think I’d rather hear the Cathedrals cover this style.

CD Rating: 3 stars
Favorite Songs: “Strong Hand,” “He Came Back”

Song List: Let Your Fingers Do the Walking, A Strong Hand, God Called Me to Sing, I Cannot Hide From God, He Came Back, I've Never Heard A Real Love Song, I Will Be Here, Lead Me to the Jordan, The Dearest Friend, Take My Hand Precious Lord

Review copy not provided

Review: Collingsworth Family "Part of the Family"

Many of you may remember that I already reviewed Part of the Family back in September.  I wasn't satisfied with that post though.  It was very non-descriptive, boring, and bad all around.  So I decided to write the review again.  Hopefully, this will be better than the last.  ;)  I have some other reviews planned such as Tim Duncan's solo CD, and perhaps Libbi Perry Stuffle's Journey, but I haven't finished these yet.  Hopefully I can post them soon!

___

God’s Family - There are several songs on this CD that don’t really stand out. This Lanny Wolf number is one of them. It’s certainly better than say, "Nothing’s Worrying Me," or "Jesus Is All I Need," but it won’t be remembered as a classic. I wish that the producers had decided to include the chorus "Family of God" in this arrangement, but for some reason (perhaps partly due to time concerns) they left it out.

That’s the Place I’m Longing to Go - This song is for those that enjoy mellow, acoustic numbers. It’s sort of comforting, not fast or rocky in the least. It even showcases the family singing part of the chorus in accapella style. It’s maybe not the strongest ballad on the CD, but it’s good nonetheless.

Joy Unspeakable - Written by Bill and Gloria Gaither, this is a brassy up-tempo number. You could compare this to “Not the Same” on the 2007 release We Still Believe. This song isn’t incredibly well-done IMO, but it‘s not a bad song.

Jesus Is All I Need - I enjoyed this song better when I saw it performed live at a Collingsworth concert. When simply listening to it, it tends to drag on. It’s a very slow Caleb Collins/Wayne Haun melody. Kim is highlighted during most of the verses. Part of the song “He’s All I Need” is sung at the end.

Nothing’s Worrying Me - Brooklyn leads this jazzy number, and the family provides backup vocals. The lyrics could be loosely compared to those in “I Know” from the 2009 The Answer release. This song isn’t a very strong one. I don’t particularly like the style in which Brooklyn sings.

Tell the Mountain - Phillip takes the lead on this country-flavored number and is joined by his sisters for part of the second verse. Some great power singing is featured at the end of the second verse. This is the strongest up-tempo song on the CD with perhaps the exception of “Just Another Rainy Day.”

I Pray - This is another acoustic ballad, which showcases the youngest member of the family, Olivia. It’s already been said that Olivia has proven herself as a capable vocalist. This is a valid statement. Although her voice isn’t as mature as her sisters or her mom, she still is able to hold her own.

At Calvary - This is a beautiful rendition of the well-known hymn “At Calvary,” which was written by Marty Millikin. The music is pretty light at the beginning, but by the end turns into a power ballad. The first verse highlights what sounds like the whole family, the second verse showcases Kim and the older girls, the third is handled by Phillip (he’s joined by Brooklyn and Courtney), and the fourth is, again, the whole family. This is one of the best ballads on the CD, and will surely be enjoyed.  The soundtrack alternates between soft light music with minimal orchestration to huge power ballad.

I Found It All - Courtney leads this song, while Phillip and Brooklyn provide back-up singing. It’s another beautiful ballad that has softer music and a great message. The chorus says:

I found it all, when I lost everything and gave my life to serve a risen king
I found the truth that I’d been searching for, I found it all when I found the Lord

Just Another Rainy Day - This is probably the most fun up-tempo song on Part of the Family. This is also the Collingsworth’s most progressive, rocky song to date. Phillip sings the first verse, and his sisters take over for the second. I believe I’ve read that this was formerly sung by LordSong and the Crabb Family.

Praise You - This song has comparatively soft orchestration and moves along at a medium pace. If I remember correctly, it’s a relatively obscure Gaither melody, one that’s deserving of attention when sung by the Collingsworth Family. The only other recorded version of this song that I own was sung by the Reflection Trio on their The Anchor Holds album. This version is better, both musically and vocally.

Resurrection Morn - Once again the Collingsworth have come off with an excellent power ballad. “Resurrection Morn” is beautifully orchestrated and is arguably the best down-tempo number on Part of the Family. The family’s early ballads weren’t incredible, but somehow in their recent albums they have found a way to create multiple winners in the power ballad category.

Comments:
The Collingsworth Family is an excellent family group, IMO, one of the best groups in Southern Gospel music. Every one of the children, from Brooklyn to Olivia, have proven themselves as capable singers. They didn’t disappoint their fans with this release. While I do have a couple of criticisms after listening to the whole thing, it’s still an excellent album that has many outstanding songs.

I would have liked to see a stronger up-tempo number in place of “Joy Unspeakable,” and I also would have liked to hear at least one piano solo (I’m glad though that they didn’t have a lot of instrumentals though) As one blogger said, (and I paraphrase), “who wants to hear instrumentals when you have these kinds of voices?”

Although I really enjoyed a lot of the songs from the Collingsworth Family’s last CD The Answer, and might have to say that was a stronger album as a whole, I would recommend Part of the Family as one of the best CD releases of 2011. And when you see some of these songs performed live…well, it’s a wonderful experience.

CD Rating: 4-4.5 stars
Favorite Songs: Tell the Mountain, Just Another Rainy Day, I Found It All, Resurrection Morn, At Calvary

Concert Review: Collingsworth Family - 12/30/11

On December 30, 2011, the Collingsworth Family performed a free concert at Faith Memorial Church in Lancaster Ohio.  I was privileged to attend this concert.  It was the first professional Southern Gospel performance that I’ve attended where I was able to stay for the whole thing, and it was well worth the time to attend!  The family sang a lot of songs from their latest album, Part of the Family, as well as a couple of songs from their last CD The Answer.  Phil and Kim even played an instrumental from the 2007 release We Still Believe.  Here’s the song list (not in order):

• At Calvary
• How Majestic is Your Name/Shout to the Lord (Instrumental)
• Swingin’ and Marchin’
• Tell the Mountain
• Joy Unspeakable
• I Pray
• I Know
• Power in the Blood/No One Ever Cared For Me (Instrumental)
• I Found It All
• Fear Not Tomorrow
• To God Be the Glory (Instrumental)
• Jesus Is All I Need
• Offertory Christmas Song (Can’t remember which song!)
• Joy, Joy, Unspeakable Joy
• Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho (shortened version; instrumental)
• Another Christmas song (again, I can’t remember which one!  O Holy Night maybe?)
• Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Suite (Instrumental)
• Just Another Rainy Day
• That’s the Place I’m Longing to Go
• Resurrection Morn
• Hallelujah Chorus (Instrumental)

We got our choice of seats (a few rows from the front) because we arrived over an hour early.  The wait, of course, was very long, but it was worth it to get excellent seating arrangements.  The Collingsworth started off with “At Calvary,” a song from their latest release, Part of the Family.

The concert was over two hours long, which gave the family ample time to perform songs from their latest CD as well as some from older projects.  Immediately following Kim’s offertory (I can’t remember what the song was now, but it was a Christmas melody) the family sang a song I have never heard of them singing before, “Joy, Joy, Unspeakable Joy.” (NOT “Joy Unspeakable” from Part of the Family)  It was beautifully orchestrated and sounded rather like something that would be on the Greater Vision Hymns of the Ages CD.  They performed this song excellently, and IMO, one of the better songs that they sang that night.

In a surprise move, Phil decided to have Kim play part of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite.”  OK, maybe that doesn’t sound so interesting.  The part that made it fun was that Phillip pulled a chair onto the middle of the stage, sat down and closed his eyes, and mimed playing the song instead of his mom.  Of course you have to see it to truly appreciate it, but it was hilarious to witness.

One thing I appreciated was the genuineness of the family during the performance.  They seemed like they were for real.  And they seemed to truly believe what they were singing.  The kids weren’t hesitant to raise a hand when a song spoke to them, and Phillip especially seemed to be touched by some of the slower numbers.  Obviously people can act spiritual, but while they did have fun doing some of the up-tempo songs, they didn’t seem to be just putting on a show.  You could very easily feel the presence of God while Kim played “To God Be the Glory,” and afterwards as she told of her husband’s brain surgery and the conflicting emotions that they felt leading to the operation.  She also told the story of her wayward niece who got saved after her cousins prayed and fasted for 48 hours.  It was a wonderful testimony to what God can do.

Also, besides the genuineness of the family, they made the performance seem unique.  It didn’t feel planned (Phillip’s pianist imitation for example), or like something that they just had to do for two hours every night.  It felt “special,” like it was something planned just for that crowd.

One of my favorite songs of the night (there were others, but this was one of my favorite up-tempo numbers) was “Just Another Rainy Day.”  I enjoyed seeing it performed live more than just hearing it on my computer or MP3 player.  There were some differences vocally that I think were an improvement to the song.

Brooklyn and Courtney played two songs on their violins, “Power In the Blood,” and “No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus.”  I usually don’t care for the violin solos (when watching the DVDs for example), but the girls did an amazing job that night.

One thing that I also appreciated is that the kids got a chance to talk.  Usually Phil does all the talking, and Kim might say a thing or two.  While Phil did do most of the talking in between songs, he had all the kids (with the exception of Olivia) talk while he introduced them.  This was a smart move, as it gives more personality to the kids and shows people what they sound like when they’re not singing.

In the way of complaints, the main sanctuary lights were left on during the whole concert.  I think the performance would have perhaps been enhanced had they been turned off, but I got used to them as the night went on.  Another surprise was that Phil Collingsworth had decided to grow a full mustache.  I actually think he looks better without it, but once you get used to it, it’s not a big deal.  The other major complaint is that, in typical concert fashion, the music was much too loud in certain places, especially when the whole family was singing a power ballad.

The Collingsworth gave an excellent performance and it was a delightful evening.  I would whole-heartedly recommend a Collingsworth concert to anyone who likes Gospel music.