CD Review: Help is On the Way (Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver)

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 3.8 (of 5)

Song List: I Know, I Know; Help is On the Way; Eternity Has Two; One of These Days; Truly God is Love; Land of the Dying; I Won’t Have to Worry Anymore; When the Hand of God Comes Down; The Black Sheep Returns to the Fold; I’m the Clay in Your Hands; Press On, O Pilgrim, There is Joy Ahead; What Shall I Do With Jesus; He Made it All Right; Keep Your Eyes on Jesus.

Available From: Artist, Crossroads, Amazon, CBD.

***

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver is a rare example of a group that manages to enjoy success concurrently in Southern Gospel and another genre without alienating many fans in either genre. They alternate Bluegrass and Bluegrass Gospel releases, releasing their Bluegrass Gospel releases to the Southern Gospel via Crossroads Records.

This project gained some notice when its title track went to #1 on the September 2008 Singing News radio airplay charts (subscribers-only link here). Oddly enough, with the song being the group’s first #1, it’s not even the best track on the project. “One of These Days,” “When the Hand of God Comes Down,” and “Press On, O Pilgrim, There is Joy Ahead” are outstanding uptempo numbers that would be termed “convention songs” under different arrangements. “Press On, O Pilgrim, There is Joy Ahead,” in particular, is a song that a traditional group like the Dixie Echoes, Inspirations, or the Blackwood Brothers could adapt easily to their style.

Among the project’s slower tracks, the most memorable lyric comes from “Eternity Has Two”: “Life has many options / Eternity has two.” It’s the sort of lyric and melody that stick in your mind for days, even after only hearing the song once or twice.

This album is an enjoyable mixture of new and classic Gospel songs performed in a Bluegrass style. Despite posts like these two, I see no reason why fans of traditional convention-song quartet singing would dislike Quicksilver. In fact, their vocal arrangements are much closer that style than many of today’s top groups.

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12 Responses to “CD Review: Help is On the Way (Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver)”

1. Samuel says:

   August 19, 2008 at 12:03 pm

   Land of the Dying… Is that supposed to be a parody of Land of Living?

   Reply
2. Amy Rogers says:

   August 19, 2008 at 12:21 pm

   I can’t help asking … Surely “Help Is On The Way” is not the same song as Gold City did?

   Reply
3. tanner stahl says:

   August 19, 2008 at 12:38 pm

   a big CONGRATS to my boy, carl white, on their #1 song this month!! i never would’ve thought that he’d be the lead vocal on a number 1 song lol…he’d be the first to tell you that too …we played together as member of young harmony…we had a lot of fun on the road haha…ahh the memories…anyways, congrats carl and dl&q!!

   Reply
4. Daniel J. Mount says:

   August 19, 2008 at 12:41 pm

   #1 – It doesn’t seem like a parody, but come to think of it, it does have a similar idea. If Heaven is the “land of the living,” then I guess that makes this the “land of the dying,” as both songs say.

   Reply
5. Daniel J. Mount says:

   August 19, 2008 at 12:45 pm

   #2 – I am unfamiliar with the GC song. This song’s chorus:

   “Just hold on a little longer
   Help is on the way
   A brighter day is coming
   For those who believe and pray
   Help won’t help tomorrow
   If you give up today
   Just hold on a little longer
   Help is on the way”

   Reply
6. Amy Rogers says:

   August 19, 2008 at 1:11 pm

   OK, it’s a different song. I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around a bluegrass group doing a GC song.

   Reply
7. Brian Crout says:

   August 24, 2008 at 5:05 pm

   I am a huge DL&Q fan, so this is great to see for me.

   Amy, Gold City and DL&Q have both recorded at least one song that I know of: “Ezekiel Saw the Wheel”. Of course, that’s a traditional spiritual and not really a southern or bluegrass gospel song.

   Reply
8. Gene Antwine says:

   August 27, 2008 at 7:11 am

   Great song, Help is on the Way. My lead singer, she is learning it and will sing it at our next show. My group is River Run. I would like to know who wrote that song. I have one coming out by Leon Morris soon called God’s Highway. It would fit Doyle Lawson’s style perfectly..

   Reply
9. SouthernGospelBlog.com » NQC: Day 2, Tuesday says:

   September 10, 2008 at 4:32 pm

   [...] current single, “Eternity Has Two.” The lyric in particular grabbed my attention when I reviewed their project a couple of weeks ago, and the song is a great choice for radio. They closed with an acapella [...]

   Reply
10. Sandra Roberts says:

    November 11, 2008 at 12:15 pm

    Can Eternity Has Two be purchased anywhere as a single???

    Reply
11. Daniel J. Mount says:

    November 11, 2008 at 12:16 pm

    Yes, for 99 cents here:

    http://www.crossroadsmusic.com/release/doylelawson/Help-Is-On-The-Way/

    Reply
12. terry says:

    April 8, 2009 at 2:20 pm

    who was the original artist of ‘help is on the way’? did someone like reno and smiley do it years ago?

    Reply