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Rating: 5 stars (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 4.5 stars (of 5)

Members: Julie Hudson (soprano), Penny Greene (alto), Stan Hill (tenor), Dave Emery (bass / guitar), Joe Rotton (bass guitar).

Song List: Keep Travelin’ On; He Wrote My Name; Keep the Fire Burning in the Camp; Light at the River; I’d Rather Have Jesus; Homecoming Day; I’m Telling the World About His Love; Singing As I Go; I Never Shall Forget the Day; We’re Gonna Rise Up (And Meet Him in the Air); My Dream Home in Glory; O Come Angel Band.

Available From: Label, Artist.

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Keep Travelin’ On is the Chuck Wagon Gang’s first studio release in several years. In fact, it had been long enough since they’d released a CD with their label, Song Garden Music Group, that at one point I mistakenly assumed they had left the label.

This project includes familiar CWG classics, several convention-style songs previously recorded but new to the group, and a number of new songs. Two particularly notable tracks are new songs from the pen of Rebecca Peck, “Singing as I Go” and “Keep Travelin’ On.” The latter is the project’s title track and first single. Both are such good fits for the group’s style that a casual listener, recognizing many of the project’s other songs as classics, would assume these were also old-school classics.

Other particularly notable arrangements include alto Penny Greene’s feature on “I’d Rather Have Jesus,” tenor Stan Hill’s feature on “Oh Come Angel Band,” and Greene’s feature on “We’re Gonna Rise Up and Meet Him in the Air,” a CWG classic penned by late group patriarch Roy “Dad” Carter.

Alto Shaye Seward came off the road two or three years ago and was replaced by current alto Penny Greene. Though she remains active with the group behind the scenes, since her departure from the touring group, there have been no children or grandchildren of the original members in group. But this lineup captures the group’s distinctive sound no well that it leaves no doubt that they are the Chuck Wagon Gang, not just some tribute lineup carrying on the heritage. In fact, with a project of this caliber, they add to the heritage.

I don’t give out 5-star ratings often. I write somewhere around fifty CD/DVD reviews per year, and since I typically give out five or fewer 5-star ratings, some might wonder why I give this project 5 stars and another project with more complex arrangements and vocals (say, the latest Perrys or Kingdom Heirs releases) 4 or 4.5 stars.

Here is why: When I rate a project, I consider this question: What would a perfect [group name] recording sound like? Groups anchored by a star performer can experiment with different styles so long as the familiar voices are featured, but the Chuck Wagon Gang is anchored by a specific style. Add a 64-piece orchestra, a complex MIDI drum loop, or a heavy synthesizer, and it just isn’t the Chuck Wagon Gang. This project gets five stars because the group took the stylistic parameters that define a Chuck Wagon Gang project and worked within those guidelines to make the best recording the group has released in years.

Rating: 4.5 stars (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 4.3 stars (of 5)

Members: Billy Hodges (tenor), Arthur Rice (lead), Steve French (baritone), Jeff Chapman (bass), Andy Stringfield (piano), Kreis French (baritone), Dennis Murphy (drums).

Song List: On the Gloryland Way; Biblically Correct; He Locked the Gates; Help Me Lord; Fire Away; Turnin’ Loose; As Good as I Can Be; Steppin’ On the Stars; When the Story of My Life is Told; Jesus Showed Up; When You Look at Me; The Empty Tomb Says it All.

Available From: Label, Artist.

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Music critics in other genres such as Contemporary Christian music rate albums on how much a group has changed or grown since their previous project. But in Southern Gospel, in most cases (outside of progressive SG), that’s not what the fans want. Besides, in Southern Gospel, you’re frequently hearing mature performers on their 39th project, not teens on their third. The Kingdom Heirs know what their fans want, and that’s exactly what they give them.

Rodney Griffin contributed “He Locked the Gates,” a barn-burner convention song in the tradition of “I Know I’m Going There,” another Griffin tune the group cut in 2004. This should be a concert favorite, and was the obvious pick to be the project’s first single.

Joseph Habedank and Matthew Holt contributed “Turning Loose,” a mid-tempo number that fits the Kingdom Heirs’ style well.

The project’s closing tune, “The Empty Tomb Says it All,” was penned by Daryl Petersheim. The song became known through winning the Singing News songwriters’ contest a year or two back.

As in previous projects, the Kingdom Heirs draw heavily from the pen of Dianne Wilkinson. She wrote or co-wrote the other nine tracks on the project. The two co-writes were “Biblically Correct” (with co-writer Rusty Golden) and “Steppin’ On the Stars” (with co-writer Niles Borop). Both songs utilize modern harmonies well suited for the groups’ sound.

One other Wilkinson contribution particularly worth mentioning is “Fire Away,” an uptempo composition featuring Billy Hodges. The first line of the chorus brings to mind Brian Free & Assurance’s “Pray, Daniel, Pray.” This could be a concert favorite or even a strong radio single.

David Bruce Murray described When You Look at Me aptly: “The songs on this CD seem familiar right away, even though the lyrics are new.” There is little stylistically to differentiate this from previous Kingdom Heirs projects, so if you loved their previous projects, you should love this one.

Rating: 4.5 stars (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 4.4 stars (of 5)

Members: Libbi Perry Stuffle (alto), Joseph Habedank (lead), Troy Peach (baritone), Tracy Stuffle (bass), Bryan Elliott (pianist).

Song List: This Old Sinner Testifies; If You Knew Him; An Old Fashioned Altar; Almost Morning; I Love to Tell; The One Who is Unworthy; Dying is a Day; Prior to a Prayer; You Cannot Improve On the Truth; Did I Mention.

Available From: Artist.

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The Perrys released their last studio project, Look No Further, roughly two years ago. It was one of their career best projects, and produced a string of radio hits and concert favorites for the group. Frequently, in Southern Gospel, when a group hits on a formula that works that well, they stick with what they know works, choosing a similar mixture of fast songs and ballads and a similar arrangement style for their following recordings.

The Perrys show that they aren’t content to rest on their laurels—with Almost Morning, they branch out to experiment with new styles. They bring in Cajun influences for “Old Fashioned Altar,” swing for “You Cannot Improve on the Truth,”* and progressive for a new Joseph Habedank / Matthew Holt composition, “Dying is a Day.” (*Hat tip to Wes Burke on that one, since I’m unfamiliar with swing.)

The Perrys don’t stray too far from their roots, though; most of the other songs on the project are arranged in styles that would have fit quite well on their earlier projects. “One Who is Unworthy,” a new Rodney Griffin song, features Libbi Stuffle; its arrangement brings to mind “Mary For a While.” Libbi Stuffle’s power alto rendition of “Did I Mention” brings a song like “Holy Shore” to mind, even though “Did I Mention” is somewhat less orchestrated. And with “I Love to Tell,” the Perrys maintain their tradition of including a classic convention style song on each project.

Probably the biggest news with this project is Joseph Habedank’s growth both as a songwriter and vocalist. When he initially moved from the baritone to the lead role, a number of Perrys fans questioned whether Tracy and Libbi had put him in shoes bigger than he could fill. With every year and every project since, he’s improved as a vocalist. This is particularly well illustrated on two of his feature songs on the project, “Almost Morning” (a song he co-wrote with former Perrys pianist Matthew Holt), and “If You Knew Him” (a song he co-wrote with Rodney Griffin). On “Almost Morning,” his soft, tender vocals fit the gentle ballad, while on “If You Knew Him,” he carries a power lead on the project’s standout big ballad.

Almost Morning covers enough new ground for the Perrys to win them some new fans, but it retains enough familiar styles to keep their previous fans along for the ride.

Rating: 4 stars (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 4 stars (of 5)

Song List: Pilgrim Song; O Happy Day; This Little Light of Mine; Be Still and Know; Sweeter as the Days Go By; Gotta Go Back; If it Wasn’t For Your Love; Gonna Walk; A Bridge You Cannot Burn; Heaven’s Jubilee.

Available From: Label.

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Poet Voices recorded Pilgrim Song in 1999, at the peak of their popularity, three years before their retirement. This project’s lineup was tenor Dale Brock, lead Phil Cross, baritone Donny Henderson, and bass Tim Duncan. Though the CD is out of print, it was recently digitally re-issued by Crossroads.

Since there is no group photo on the cover, and there was a change at the bass spot (David Jordan leaving and Tim Duncan coming on board) , there was some question over Jordan or Duncan was the bass singer on this project. It’s unmistakably Duncan’s voice on “Sweeter as the Days go By,” but a friend more familiar with David Jordan’s voice thought it sounded like him on “Oh Happy Day.” I emailed Phil Cross asking which bass sang on this project, and he replied that it was Tim Duncan.

The project is a mixture of new and classic songs. Of the new songs, probably the best is the title track, “Pilgrim Songs,” with “Be Still and Know” (not the hymn) not too far behind. Another memorable track, though not entirely for musical reasons, is “A Bridge You Cannot Burn.” It starts with a clip from “Jesus Built a Bridge,” the song that put Poet Voices on the map in Southern Gospel. The lyrics focus on the doctrine of eternal security, a controversial enough doctrine that most Southern Gospel songs avoid anything more than a passing reference.

The most memorable rendition of a classic song on the project is the acapella rendition of “Oh Happy Day.” The arrangement, turning the song into a quartet song, is one I have only heard recorded by Poet Voices and, several decades earlier, by the Florida Boys. I am not certain whether the Florida Boys came up with the arrangement or whether it predates them. (Do any of you know?)

“Sweeter as the Days Go By,” featuring Tim Duncan, is also particularly nicely done.

This project stands up well to the test of time and is still quite enjoyable today.

Rating: 4 stars (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 3.6 stars (of 5)

Song List: There is a Kingdom Coming; Go Tell the World; Die Another Day; You Must Have Met Him; Preaching to the Choir; Worth It; Nothing Takes You By Surprise; Not One; I Am Redeemed; A New Thing; When the Mountains Will Not Move.

Available From: Artist.

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Worth It is Brian Free & Assurance’s second project with the lineup of Brian Free, Bill Shivers, Derrick Selph, and Jeremy Lile. It is Lile’s second project with the group; since the group’s previous bass, Keith Plott, left during the recording process of Real Faith, this is the first project where the group had the chance to arrange songs for his voice.

Speaking of arranging songs for Jeremy Lile’s voice, Lile is featured on the title track, “Worth It.” Most fans of traditional and middle-of-the-road Southern Gospel styles will view this as the project’s standout track. Lile has the solos on the verses, and Brian Free carries the melody on the choruses. The Dills also cut this on their most recent release, Story of a Lifetime (reviewed here). Though I believe the Dills’ project came out earlier in the year, the two cuts were more or less concurrently released, in a situation something like when Gold City, Legacy Five, and the Talley Trio all cut “Truth is Marching On” several years ago.

Fans of traditional and middle-of-the-road Southern Gospel will also enjoy the project’s opening acapella track, the stunningly beautiful “There is a Kingdom Coming,” and “I Am Redeemed,” a big ballad featuring Brian Free.

“Die Another Day” was a great pick for the project’s first single. The song features Brian Free and has a memorable lyric and a great hook.

The project continues in the vein of It’s So God and Real Faith, two projects that have helped redefine the group’s sound. But the project has something for everyone, not just fans of the progressive part of the genre. And yet the project does this while maintaining consistency between tracks—no small accomplishment.

Rating: 4 stars (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 3.92 stars (of 5)

Song List: Don’t You Want to Go to Heaven?; The Lowest Valley; Remind Me Dear Lord; Cast the First Stone; Master’s Bouquet; Carry Me; Father’s Blacksmith; Hold Fast to the Right; God Sent an Angel; I’m Gonna Move; Look What God Gave Me; How Great Thou Art.

Available From: Label.

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Over the last year or so, Crossroads has reissued digital versions of a large chunk of the Isaacs’ back catalog. One of the best ways to become familiar with a group’s back catalog is to listen to a live concert, to find out how they staged some of their best songs from that era. So Mountain Praise is an excellent way to introduce yourself to the Isaacs’ sound nearly a decade and a half ago.

In 1995, the group’s lineup consisted of siblings Sonya, Becky, and Ben Isaacs, their parents Joe and Lily, and a live band. Joe emceed the programs.

The group’s harmonies were just as tight then as they are now; the project starts off with a stellar acapella track, “Don’t You Wanna Go to Heaven.” Other highlights from the project include a guest appearance by Porter Waggoner on “Master’s Bouquet,” and renditions of “Carry Me” and “How Great Thou Art.”

Fans of the Isaacs’ sound will find that it has changed little over the last fifteen years. If you like them now, you will love this live recording. And if you aren’t familiar with their sound now, this project is as good as any other to introduce yourself to one of Southern Gospel’s most popular family groups.

Rating: 4.5 stars (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 4 stars (of 5)

Song List: Love Was in the Room; Sail On; He Came to Me; Oh What a Happy Day; I’m the Lamb; I Have an Anchor; Up There, Somewhere; Tradin’ the Old Cross; This is My Valley; Feeling Fine.

Available From: Artist.

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Over the years, the Booth Brothers have recorded quite a few songs that have found places in listeners’ hearts. 09 brings back some of the best of these, songs they have recorded in the past, but hadn’t performed for years. The album also throws in several new songs and classics they had not previously staged.

1. Love Was in the Room. The Booth Brothers originally recorded this song on their 1998 recording Will You Love Jesus More. The song, penned by Mosie Lister and Ken Bible, is a unique look at the Resurrection.
2. Sail On. The Booth Brothers prove that this Imperials classic can be done without a bass…and, even more impressively, without the bass’s absence sticking out like a sore thumb.
3. He Come to Me. This midtempo song is penned by Squire Parsons and sounded vaguely familiar. After doing some checking around, I found out that I’d heard it on Greater Vision and the Specks did it in a medley on their Celebration at First Baptist Atlanta video. The Kingdom Heirs also recorded it on Series 1 (2005), and the Hoppers recorded a song by the same name on their 1981 project Home is Where the Heart Is. The song is, however, new to the Booth Brothers’ repertoire.
4. Oh What a Happy Day. A convention-style piano intro to the song leads the listener to think the track will be arranged the way the song is usually sung, as a traditional quartet number. That impression lasts until the synthesizers and brass kick in, for one of the project’s more progressive and uptempo numbers.
5. I’m the Lamb. This song is familiar to any longtime Booth Brothers fan; they recorded it on their 1996 Praise God Anyhow project. It’s definitely a song worth bringing back.
6. I Have an Anchor. This is a new uptempo song, penned by Jim Brady. The soundtrack is brass-driven.
7. Up There Somewhere. This slow ballad features tenor Michael Booth; it was originally recorded on their 1996 project One of His Own.
8. Tradin’ the Old Cross. If you thought you knew this song from the Collingsworth Family’s rendition (God is Faithful, 2005), think again. The Booth Brothers completely redefine the song as a progressive track, with a driving uptempo arrangement. The song lends itself surprisingly well to both interpretations.
9. This is My Valley. This Dottie Rambo song features tenor Michael Booth.
10. Feeling Fine. The Booth Brothers recorded this Mosie Lister classic on Beyond the Cross (1999). They recorded its sequel, “Still Feelin’ Fine,” on This Stage of Grace (2001). They revisit the original to close out this project.

While two or three of the tracks are more progressive than fans of traditional styles would care for, the project blends traditional and progressive styles seamlessly enough that no song seems out of place. Between the song selection, the vocal arrangements, and the production standards, this project is good enough that it’s easy to forget it is a table project.

Rating: 4.5 stars (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 4.0 stars (of 5)

Song List: Amazing You; Holy of Holies; I See a Mountain; I Quit; Tired of Running; Worth It; He Got Up; Yesterday’s News; He Got Up; I’m Over What’s Under the Blood.

Available From: Label, Artist.

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Shawn and Tim Dill began singing with their parents at age seven; today’s version of the group is based in Jackson, Tennessee and features Shawn and Tim with their wives, LeeAnn and Bridget Dill. The Dill’s sound is fairly progressive, but is still traditional enough that fans of more traditional mixed groups can appreciate it.

The Story of a Lifetime has high vocal and production quality, but its strongest point is probably its song selection. The Dills were able to find a number of songs that better known groups would (or at least should) jump at the chance to record. (In fact, it’s already happened, if the title track of Brian Free & Assurance’s new project, Worth It, is the same song.)

The project has several excellent uptempo songs, including “Tired of Running” and “He Got Up,” both penned by Joseph Habedank and Matthew Holt.

“I Quit” and “Worth It” are both lyrically powerful mid-tempo songs. The orchestration doesn’t really build with either to the point where they would be termed a big ballad. Both songs are what I would term “message songs”—songs where the lyric is so catching that it’s what you remember, even if you forget the tune.

“Holy of Holies” is the project’s strongest big ballad. It was penned by Geron Davis in 1989, but is (to my knowledge) new to Southern Gospel. It is a good fit for genre and the group, and word is it’s under consideration for a radio single.

One other notable cover is song “Yesterday’s News.” Originally penned in 1998 and recorded by Truth, it is also survives its transpant to Southern Gospel well.

This project should go a long way toward establishing the Dills as a group worth watching.

Rating: 4.5 stars (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 4.2 stars (of 5)

Song List: Disc 1: I’m Feeling Fine; Joy; Vessel of Mercy; I Found Grace; The Prettiest Flowers; Strong in the Strength; That’s What Grace is For; Out of My Darkness; Jericho Road; I Know that I Know; What a Friend; Steppin’ Out on the Water; Why Wouldn’t I. Disc 2: I’m Feeling Fine; Joy; Vessel of Mercy; I Found Grace; The Prettiest Flowers; Strong in the Strength; That’s What Grace is For; Out of My Darkness; Jericho Road; Steppin’ Out on the Water.

Available From: Artist.

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To commemorate their tenth anniversary, Legacy Five has gone a whole level above the typical compilation. They re-cut ten of their best-loved songs, with new tracks and vocals, and three new songs.

The song selection focuses on songs from their first few years, perhaps because it helps to have a couple years of perspective to come up with a fresh arrangement. There are four songs from their incredibly strong 1999 debut (Strong in the Strength), one from Heritage Vol. 1, (2000), two from their 2003 Daywind debut (London), and one each from Heritage Vol. 3 (2004), Monuments (2004), and A Little Taste of Heaven (2005).

Overall, the arrangements aren’t all that different from the original. “Joy” has a less orchestrated feel (it does still have orchestration, though more understated), and “Steppin’ Out on the Water” has a somewhat simpler feel, without the prominent saxophone that distinguished the original rendition.

The three new songs are all well selected. “What A Friend” has a fairly slow tempo, but the harmonies are nicely arranged. “I Know that I Know” was cut by the Mark Trammell Trio on Always Have a Song late last year; Legacy Five proves that it makes an excellent quartet song. “Why Wouldn’t I?” was written by Liberty Quartet pianist Doran Ritchey, and originally cut on Liberty’s Amazed (2008, reviewed here). Though the constant cymbals through the chorus are a little distracting, “Why Wouldn’t I?” is a great fit for Scott Fowler’s voice and style.

Showcasing Legacy Five’s current lineup on new arrangements of some of their best songs is an excellent way to commemorate this ten-year milestone.

Rating: 5 stars (of 5)

Average song rating: 4.4 stars (of 5)

Song List: Jesus Built This Church on Love; Everyday; Somebody Died For Me; Amazed at the Change; Do You Know that You Know?; When the Trumpet Sounds; One Drop of Blood; God’s Home; What a Wonderful Day; The Day of the Lord.

Available From: Artist.

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Triumphant Quartet has kept the same lineup and same style long enough that they don’t have to be concerned about whether their fans will like their new releases. This gives them a freedom in song selection and placement on a CD that groups introducing a new member or more progressive style don’t have; while such groups frequently start a CD with its strongest or second-strongest song, Triumphant Quartet doesn’t have to do that. On Everyday, the project’s four strongest songs are all in the second half of the project. It’s not that the project really has a single weak song; I rate every song on this project a four or five of five stars, something I rarely do even with my highest rated CDs of a given year. On Everyday, Triumphant is able to start with strong songs but build with stronger songs to an impressive finish.

The project starts with two covers, “Jesus Built This Church on Love” (Hemphills) and “Everyday” (Oak Ridge Boys). “Somebody Died for Me” is a ballad with a patriotic /miltary hook.

“Amazed at the Change” was penned by Rodney Griffin, and originally pitched to the group for their previous project. When they didn’t record it on that project, he pitched it to other groups; it was picked up by Liberty Quartet as the title track for their most recent project, Amazed (reviewed here). Then, when Triumphant was selecting songs for this project, they returned to this song and picked it up. The renditions are fairly similar; Liberty Quartet’s rendition has a more easy swing feel, while Triumphant’s has a slightly more produced feel, with some nice harmony arrangements on the final chorus.

“Do You Know that You Know” is songwriter / baritone Scotty Inman’s contribution to the project. This makes this the third “Know” song Daywind artists have released in the past 7 or 8 months, following “I Know that I Know,” cut originally by the Mark Trammell Trio and then Legacy Five, and Greater Vision’s “I Want You to Know That You Know.” Triumphant had already cut tracks for this song before they heard the other group’s cuts; however, it might not have been a bad idea for Daywind execs to suggest that the group held it till their next project.

It has nothing to do with the quality of the song—it’s a great song, and I disagree with David Bruce Murray’s description of the song as repetitive. Yes, the title is repeated twice at the end of the chorus, but that doesn’t make it any more repetitive than, say, “The Blind Man Saw it All.”

The second half of the project is filled with excellent songs. David Sutton is featured on a cover of the Joe Moscheo tune “What a Wonderful Day.”  And there are a trio of songs that really should get sent to radio: Wayne Haun’s “When the Trumpet Sounds” is a great uptempo song that really should get sent to radio. The same can be said for two other songs on the project, “One Drop of Blood,” a ballad penned by Jerry Goff that features bass singer Eric Bennett, and the project’s closing song, “The Day of Our Lord,” a ballad penned by Paula Stefanovich (author of “Jerusalem,” “Yaweh,” and “Gospel to the World”) that moves along in a fairly uptempo 6/8 time.

“The Day of the Lord” has one recording oddity I haven’t quite figured out. At least the Daywind pre-release I got has a series of fairly loud beeps (eleven, to be precise) at the end of the bridge, before the transition to the clip from “The King is Coming.” Does anyone know if these made it into the final release, and if they were intentional?

The longer Triumphant can maintain this lineup, and level of song selection and production quality, the more of a lasting mark they will make on this genre. The groups that have the strongest following decades later – the groups from the 60s and 70s that people are still talking about – are the groups that pulled this off.