As the title suggests, the footage is culled from the Dixie Echoes’ numerous appearances on the Gospel Singing Jubilee TV series. Some of the footage is in (faded) color; other is in black and white. Though there is some image deterioration, the image quality is overall decent.

Unlike some Gaither compilations, there is no commentary between songs. This is overall a plus (for this particular project), but subtitles indicating which lineup was on each song would have been nice.

The studio setting doesn’t quite capture the charisma the Dixie Echoes would convey on the live concert stage. But it is still enjoyable and worth purchasing, if for no other reason than this: So many Southern Gospel legends came through the group in the 60s and 70s, and this is rare footage of them live in that era. Take Tim Riley on “After Awhile,” or Larry Ford on a number of songs, or J.G. Whitfield on some of the earlier, black-and-white footage. Ken Turner is featured on the classic “How Big is God,” a song frequently identified with the Blackwood Brothers, a year or two before he joined them. It’s also fun to watch Randy Shelnut’s stage presence and voice improve over the multi-year period from which this footage is culled. Of particular note is “Because He Lives,” where his voice is unmistakably recognizable to anyone who has heard it more recently.

This is an excellent compilation, worth 4.5 stars. The audio quality is excellent, and at over 25 songs, one can’t complain over a too-limited selection. There were only two reasons a half-star was deducted from the maximum possible score. First, in an unusual slip for a Gaither project, the song list on the cover is a typographical mess, with multi-letter strings randomly pulled from one song title and inserted in another. Second, if the technology hasn’t yet been invented, hopefully one of these days technology will be invented which allows television footage from the era to be cleaned up, with edge bleed and other artifacts removed.

But those are minor quibbles. Overall, this is an excellent project, a welcome addition to the collection of any fan of Southern Gospel music from that era.

Rating: 4.5 stars. ♦ Produced by: David Armstrong. ♦ Available from: Artist. Review copy provided. ♦ Song list: My Non-Stop Flight to Gloryland; Oh Happy Day; He’ll Pilot Me; After Awhile; Because He Lives; How Big is God; I Gave Up Misery; More than Just a Swear Word; I Can Tell You the Time; I’ve Been Born Again; Give Up; I Will Serve Thee; I Must Tell Jesus; One Day at a Time; Good Old Gospel Song; I’m Free; Mama’s Teaching Angels How to Sing; Little is Much; Now I Have Everything; On the Jericho Road; Talk About Jesus; Living By Faith; On the Way Home; Peace in the Valley; Walk With Me; We’ll Soon Be Done with Troubles and Trials.

Though I will probably always have a soft spot for their all-too-brief quartet with a live band era, the year between recordings was well spent. They have adapted to the different vocal dynamics of a trio and come out with a solid sound.

Journey Down the Old Path Volume Three is a collection of ten Southern Gospel classics. Though there is one classic that practically everyone has cut (“We’ll Soon Be Done with Troubles and Trials”), the overall song selection focuses on those songs that long-time fans will remember and associate with a group, but practically nobody has done since the original. Granted, there may be one or two other cuts (by professional groups) out there, but when was the last time you heard someone cut the Cathedrals’ “My Lord Will Send a Moses”?

Or anyone besides Kirk Talley sing “I Know a Man Who Can”?

Or anyone besides Gold City cut “Windows of Home”?

Or anyone besides the Rambos cut “In the Valley (He Restoreth My Soul)”?

While many groups would have cut, say, “Boundless Love,” “Step Into the Water,” “Midnight Cry,” and “He Looked Beyond My Faults,” this approach to song selection, coupled with delightful arrangements, make this recording a pleasure to listen to.

At about the same time the Old Paths reissued Songs From the Old Path Vol. 3, they also issued Signature Collection. The recording takes fourteen of the group’s earlier songs and delivers new trio arrangements. While it breaks little new ground, that’s not its purpose—to have the concert favorites by the group available at their table. For someone new to the group’s music, it’s also an excellent introduction to the sound of their current lineup of some of their best songs.

Rating: 4.5 stars. ♦ Average song rating: 4 stars. ♦ Group members: Jeremy Peace, Tim Rackley, Doug Roark. ♦ Produced by: The Old Paths. ♦ Available from: Artist. Review copy provided. ♦ Song list: Homeland; He’s Still Living; I’ve Got a Feeling; In The Valley (He Restoreth My Soul); He is Mine; My Lord Will Send a Moses; Windows of Home; I Know a Man Who Can; Hello Mama; We’ll Soon Be Done With Troubles and Trials.

Since that album’s release, the group’s one previously known name, Dallas Rogers, left and ultimately joined the Inspirations. After a brief stint with Matt Felts at the tenor spot, they ended up hiring Marcus Faulknor. (Faulknor is cousin to the three Faulknor brothers who comprise another relatively new Crossroads artist, Voices Won.)

This album is at the same quality level as their last one, and overall is nearly as good. (Turning Point set the bar so high that I consider coming close commendable.) The only area where I’d give Turning Point a slight edge is in the classic / convention songs; uncovered forgotten gems like “Things that I’m Seeing” and “Take a Little Look” helped set the group apart a little more than already-familiar songs like “What a Wonderful Time” and “Under Control.” Make no mistake, though, both of the two new songs are executed at a high level of quality.

Most of the group members point to either Greater Vision or the Kingdom Heirs as their favorite group. With Kingdom Heirs lead singer Arthur Rice at the helm, both projects have clearly showed the Kingdom Heirs influence. Their Greater Vision influence is a little more clear on this project; they cut two Rodney Griffin songs, a new song called “We Are Almost Home” and a song Greater Vision cut in 2007 (on Everyday People) but never singled, “The First and Last.” Both songs are uptempo and great fits for a convention-style quartet.

One other highlight is “Thinking More of Heaven,” the same song their Crossroads label-mates The Inspirations cut on their most recent project, The Son Came Down. The song works well for both groups, but their arrangements and audiences differ enough that there should be little or no conflict with the nearly simultaneous cut.

It Just Started For Me establishes that Cross 4 Crowns isn’t just a one-hit-album wonder. If they can hold on to their current lineup—particularly bass singer Justin Terry—they have what it takes to be a major player on the national stage.

Rating: 4 stars. ♦ Average song rating: 3.8 stars. ♦ Group members: Marcus Faulknor, Davis McCammon Jr., Allen Leath, Justin Terry. ♦ Produced by: Jeff Collins, Arthur Rice, Allen Leath. ♦ Available from: Artist. Review copy provided. ♦ Song list: What a Wonderful Time; The First and Last; The Blood Remains; Keep Living For Jesus; It Just Started For Me; Under Control; Thinking More of Heaven; Come to the River; We Are Almost Home; He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels; There’s Only One Well.

When a group goes from an ambitious project, pushing their sound in new directions, to a hymns table project, some might take that as an admission that the new sound either didn’t work out or was too much too fast for their fans. But that doesn’t appear to be the case here, since the project covers a broad range of styles and offers arrangements that are innovative without making unnecessary changes just for change’s sake.

“Standing On the Promises” features older son Adam and is arranged in a jazzy / big band style.

“I Sing the Mighty Power / Canon in D” features the children on their electric violins (or, at any rate, probably will in live concerts, though from the liner notes it appears as though daughter Michaela may have laid down all violin tracks in the studio). The arrangement, which was put together by Michaela, is an interesting mixture of the old and new, with string arrangements and keyboards combining for a driving arrangement with clear classical influences.

“I’ll Fly Away” also features the electric violins, and a vocal solo by younger son Andrew. He is vocal dynamite right now, one of the strongest child vocalists in Southern Gospel in recent years. If his voice can retain the same power once it changes, it may be the bankable power needed to take the group to a new level.

There are two acapella songs, arrangements of “In the Garden” and “Beulah Land.” The latter is a song they have done live (on their Live @ the Factory DVD), but put on CD for the first time.

Michaela turns in a strong rendition of “My Jesus, I Love Thee.”

Mother Shelly’s rich alto is a perfect fit for “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”; a duet with Adam on several lines in a verse is brilliantly executed and all too brief.

The project’s standout track, an a capella rendition of “Wonderful Grace of Jesus,” starts off sounding like pretty much every other rendition since the Cathedrals introduced a now-classic arrangement in the 1980s. Through the verses and first two choruses, they do the standard two counterpoint lines with harmonies.  A little over two minutes into the track, they break into three counterpoint lines, with vocal activity rivaling what a top quartet could pull off on “Heaven’s Joy Awaits” or “Getting Ready to Leave This World.”

Returning to an earlier comment, these arrangements are innovative without making unnecessary changes just for change’s sake. Far from being “just another hymns project,” this project helps establish the Browns as a serious player on the national level, as a group that can be creative and innovative even on a smaller table project-sized budget.

Rating: 4.5 stars. ♦ Average song rating: 4.1 stars. ♦ Group members: Shelly Brown, Michaela Brown, Adam Brown, Andrew Brown. ♦ Produced by: None credited. Executive Producers: Shelly Brown, Michaela Brown. ♦ Available from: The Browns. Review copy provided. ♦ Song list: Standing On the Promises; My Jesus I Love Thee; I Sing the Power / Canon in D; Cross Medley; When We All Get to Heaven; In the Garden; Wonderful Grace of Jesus; I’ll Fly Away; Beulah Land; Great Is Thy Faithfulness / Majesty.

Two songs (“Jubilee” and “Jesus Will Hear Me When I Pray”) feature the entire choir. Each group is also featured on one solo song; Greater Vision sings “He Pilots My Ship,” Legacy Five sings “Someone Who Cares,” and the Booth Brothers deliver a smooth swing rendition of “In the Sweet By and By.”

It’s where the groups combine that the unique potential of the idea is brought to the forefront. Glen Dustin, being the only bass in the ensemble, is featured on a Legacy Five / Greater Vision rendition of ” I Can Hardly Wait.” He also joins the Booth Brothers on “Jesus My Wonderful Lord.” Scott Fowler, Gerald Wolfe, and Michael Booth—the three who came up with the project—deliver a power trio sound on the second verse of “Come Unto Me.”

Kudos to Jacob Kitson for doing an incredible job on the graphic design. It gives the project a classic, classy look that fits the songs perfectly.

Fans of these three groups—and of classic convention-style singing done well—will want to add this to their collections.

Rating: 4.5 stars. ♦ Average song rating: 4.1 stars. ♦ Group members: Jacob Kitson, Gerald Wolfe, Rodney Griffin (Greater Vision); Michael Booth, Ronnie Booth, Jim Brady (Booth Brothers); Frank Seamans, Scott Fowler, Scott Howard, Glenn Dustin, Tim Parton (Legacy Five). ♦ Produced by: Gereald Wolfe. ♦ Available from: Booth Brothers, Legacy Five, Greater Vision. Review copy provided. ♦ Song list: The Happy Jubilee; Come Unto Me; He Pilots My Ship; I Can Hardly Wait; In the Sweet By and By; Someone Who Cares; Better Hurry Up; Jesus My Wonderful Lord; Life Will Be Sweeter Someday; Jesus Will Hear Me When I Pray.

I say “time-tested” with some hesitation, because while most of the songs on the project are established classics, there are a few exceptions. The Talleys put their own stamp on a few more recent songs, including “If It Had Not Been” (McRaes), “The Promise” (Karen Wheaton, Allison Durham Speer et al), and a Dianne Wilkinson tune, “It’s Jesus,” previously recorded by the Mark Trammell Trio. The latter track is completely reinvented—an arrangement that works as well as the original.

Long-time Talley Trio fans have appreciated several past a capella arrangements from the group, and true to form, the group delivers pleasant renditions of “Pass Me Not” and “He’s a Personal Savior.”

There are several nods to their heritage in the genre. The group recorded three classic male quartet songs, and took them three entirely different directions. “He’s a Personal Savior,” though a capella, stays fairly close to a convention-style vocal arrangement. “How Big is God,” best known as a bass solo for the likes of legends like Big John Hall, Buddy Liles, or Pat Barker, becomes an alto feature under Debra Talley’s able management. “Just a Little Talk with Jesus” is reinvented as an uptempo song with a modern track.

Anchoring the album are its opening and closing tracks. “He’s Alive,” originally a folk ballad by Jesus Music balladeer Don Francisco, is brought back as a (literally) showstopping ballad featuring Lauren. And though I have no less than sixty-seven versions of “Amazing Grace” in my music collection, the rendition on this album is easily the best. If not for any other reason, this project would be worth acquiring for just these two songs.

Rating: 4.5 stars. ♦ Average song rating: 4.1 stars. ♦ Group members: Lauren Talley, Debra Talley, Roger Talley. ♦ Produced by: Roger Talley. ♦ Available from: Label, Artist. Review copy provided. ♦ Song list: Amazing Grace; The Promise; Just a Little Talk With Jesus; Pass Me Not; He’s So Good to Me; Hold On; It’s Jesus; How Big is God; He’s a Personal Savior; Oh What a Reason; If It Had Not Been; He’s Alive.

Note: This review was written months ago, not too long after NQC, and long before I started working with Crossroads.

It’s not the sort of situation where “potential” is the topic of discussion. Gaither Homecoming artist Woody Wright has produced or co-produced all their releases since their 1998 debut recording In All I Do, and he returned for this recording. This provides stylistic consistency with their other recordings, though the added talents of David Staton and Gus Gaches are particularly evident in the album’s more progressive tracks.

Wright’s contributions were not limited to producing; he also contributed a two songs. The first was a quartet song, “My Soul is Firmly Anchored,” recorded with a guest bass vocal by Gene McDonald. It’s the same song Legacy Five recorded on Just Stand; it’s a tossup which rendition is better. The other song Wright contributed was probably the biggest standout track for aficionados of thought-provoking lyrics: “Light Doesn’t Make a Sound.”

PIF baritone Bradley Littlejohn co-wrote “Lead On” with Dianne Wilkinson. His lyric fits well with a melody that has the unmistakable Wilkinson groove.

The album closes with “The Other Side,” a track with a timeless feel that makes you feel like you’ve surely heard it before, that it must surely already be a classic that you’ve heard done by a half-dozen other groups. It features lead singer Lance Moore and was written by Gaither Homecoming artist Stephen Hill.

This album will delight current PIF fans, and undoubtedly win the group new fans.

Rating: 4 stars. ♦ Average song rating: 3.7 stars. ♦ Group members: Lance Moore, Bradley Littlejohn, Brock White. ♦ Produced by: Woody Wright, David Staton, Gus Gaches. ♦ Available from: Group. Review copy provided. ♦ Song list: Truth Be Told; I Go to Jesus; This is the Day; Praise Makes the Walls Come Down; Lead On; My Soul is Firmly Anchored; Waiting for the Morning; Light Doesn’t Make a Sound; It Takes Faith; Faith Moved a Mountain; The Other Side.

Though the Couriers started in 1955 as a quartet, their best known configuration, from the 1960s on, was as a trio. From that point through their last recording in 2007—The Real Deal, reviewed here—they had always had (at least) three members. However, when their lead singer left, tenor Larry More and baritone/bass Tim Beitzel decided to continue for the time being as a duo.

Fortunately, this was relatively short-lived—only for a year or two—as they added lead singer Terry Smith last December. In the interim, however, the Couriers did release one album, For Such a Time as This, as a duo.

Or, I should say, this project was released nominally as a duo recording; at a number of points throughout the recording, a third vocal is in the mix. On some songs, noticeably the acapella track opening the recording, the third part is featured as prominently in the mix as the other two.

The recording is about half new songs and half classics. The new songs were composed by the two members of the duo; Larry More had three songs cut on the project, and Tim Beitzel had two. There were also three hymns (“We Would See Jesus,” “Come Unto Me,” and “Zion’s Hill”), two earlier Couriers songs (“God Smiled” and “What a Way to Go”) and one Jesus music classic, “Jesus is the Answer,” penned by Andraé and Sandra Crouch.

This project shows that the Couriers actually quite decent as a duo, but it’s still better to see them as a trio again.

Rating: 3.5 stars. ♦ Group members: Larry More, Tim Beitzel. ♦ Produced by: None Credited. ♦ Available from: Artist. Review copy provided. ♦ Label: Independent. ♦ Song list:  We Would See Jesus; Come Unto Me; Born to Praise the Lord; God Smiled; Jesus is the Answer; Live For Jesus; My Life to Give; The Day I Kneel; What a Way to Go; Zion’s Hill; Wouldn’t You Rather Be a Christian.

Yes, they even took on the sizable challenge of breathing new life into the two pillars of their classic quartet phase, “Didn’t it Rain” and “Get Away Jordan.” The tracks aren’t all that different from the originals, but the vocal arrangements take better advantage of the Dove Brother’s wider range as a group. (The original renditions maximized the impact of the smooth mid-range bass tones of Burman Porter and the particularly rich lower tenor range of Big John Rulapaugh). “Didn’t it Rain” is in the same key as the original—A-flat—but “Get Away Jordan” is lowered a half-step, from A-flat to G. After the G David Hester sings to start the vocal arpeggio that kicks off the song, he slides down to the G an octave below, less than octave from the bottom of the piano keyboard—hitting it with a magnificently rich tone.

Two other highlights both feature tenor Jerry Martin. “When I Move to Hallelujah Square” and “Just Another Hill” show Martin’s development as a tenor. Though the former predated his years with the group, “Just Another Hill” was featured on his first project with the group. He originally sang the song in a fairly unadorned straight tone; this rendition features more of a power tenor less like his Kingsmen days but more unique.

The two new songs are both imports from Country music. “Anyway” was co-written and originally recorded by Martina McBride; Jerry Martin offers the lyric with a power tenor delivery. “My Life” was originally recorded by Ronnie Milsap, released on his on his 2006 My Life album of the same name. (Incidentally, it was the same album from which the Dove Brothers recorded “A Day in the Life of America.”)

The Dove Brothers had the audacity to remake two of their three biggest hits, and produced renditions renditions equaling the originals. Even if for no other reason, this alone makes the project worth a listen.

Rating: 4 stars. ♦ Group members: Jerry Martin, McCray Dove, Eric Dove, David Hester, Jerry Kelso. ♦ Produced by: McCray Dove. ♦ Available from: Artist. Review copy provided. ♦ Song list: When I Move to Hallelujah Square; Anyway; Didn’t it Rain; My Life; Get Away Jordan; Just Another Hill; Gonna Rise; Sweet Baby Girl; One Step; Let the Old Man Die.

Expecting Good Things is the first Jeff & Sheri album with Morgan on soprano. Though it has been available on their table and their website since last fall, it releases to stores tomorrow—a few days past the two-year mark of Ritchie’s departure.

Giving Morgan the time to grow into the role paid off. Though Ritchie was either a first soprano or a second soprano with a first soprano’s voice quality, and Morgan is more a high alto, she holds down the part ably. She sounds like a younger version of her mother; since Sheri Easter has one of the most recognized and loved alto voices in the genre, that’s hardly a bad thing. Her two feature songs, “Time For Me to Fly” and “I Need You More Today,” are among the album’s highlights.

At thirteen songs, fans definitely get their money’s worth. “The Sun Will Shine Again” is a standout uptempo track. Sheri’s strongest features include “Love Remains” and the album’s closing track, “Hear My Heart.” Jeff Easter is featured on “In the Name of Jesus” and “I Get To.”

With Expecting Good Things, the new all-family vocal lineup of the Easters moves forward without missing a beat.

Rating: 4 stars. ♦ Group members: Morgan Easter (soprano), Sheri Easter (alto), Jeff Easter (lead), Madison Easter (guitar), Kyle Calloway (drums). ♦ Produced by: Jeff Easter, Sheri Easter, Greg Cole. ♦ Available from: Artist, bookstores. Review copy provided. ♦ Song list: The Sun Will Shine Again; Born to Climb; Time For Me to Fly; Love Remains; Working On a Road; I Know I Love You; Expecting Good Things; Over the Mountain; I Get To; I Need You More Today; I Don’t Wanna Cry; In the Name of Jesus; Hear My Heart.