Greater Vision’s entry in this series features quite a few songs from their Not Alone CD (their most recent recording of new songs), as well as several tracks from other recent projects and several of their greatest hits. Jacob Kitson, who surprised nobody in the industry by winning “Favorite Horizon Individual” at the 2009 Fan Awards, delights with his more than adequate renditions of songs from earlier eras of the group. In particular, he does so well on the Hymns of the Ages tracks that one wishes Gerald Wolfe would re-cut the vocals on that project and have a version available with his vocal. And his rendition of “So Much God” is the best Greater Vision has recorded.

Legacy Five’s Tim Parton joined Greater Vision for the video; the group was backed by a four-piece band that included Parton on piano, John Hammond on drums, Craig Nelson on bass, and Kelly Back on guitar. (Lari Goss took over on piano on several tracks.)

Particularly welcome are several songs—”It Means Just What it Says” and “Treasures Unseen”—that feature Greater Vision with just the live band. It’s these songs more than any other that make this project a must-add for fans who already have Live at First Baptist Orlando and other recent Greater Vision DVDs.

The cinematography is decent overall, though it’s not clear whether the grainy black-and-white footage from one angle was an accident or somehow intentional. Also somewhat distracting is the jerky zooming in and out on the multi-group songs in the bonus footage. The lighting is also good overall, though Rodney Griffin was over-lit to the point that his face lookes overly pale from a few angles. But despite those quibbles, the choice of camera angles and overall end product is enjoyable.

The extras include two songs featuring the three groups in this Oak Tree series (Greater Vision, the Booth Brothers, and Legacy Five) singing “I’m Feelin’ Fine” and “Jubilee,” as well as a tear-jerking bonus on Compassion International, featuring “Faces” as the soundtrack and featuring video footage of the group meeting a child they sponsored for the first time.

Though Greater Vision is at their best on a live stage—as Gerald Wolfe himself notes in the out-takes—this video is a nice change of pace, a welcome addition to their videography.

Rating: 4 stars. ♦ Group members: Jacob Kitson (tenor), Gerald Wolfe (lead), Rodney Griffin (baritone). ♦ Executive Producer: Dottie Leonard Miller. Producers: Paul Corley, Tre’ Corley, Norman Holland, Michael Turner, Shannon Lancaster. ♦ Available from: Artist. Review copy not provided. (And for anyone who actually reads the credits, that’s just a fancy way of saying that I bought it. Annoying FTC regulations … ) ♦ Song list: The Source of My Song; Tell Me the Story of Jesus; Share it with Jesus; It Means Just What it Says; He is Loved; I’ve Been to the Bottom; So Much God; It Pays to Pray; Treasures Unseen; I Want to Know that You Know; My Name is Lazarus; I Know He Heard My Prayer; He is to Me (Bonus Features: The Happy Jubilee; I’m Feeling Fine).

Janet Paschal opened the concert with “Rock of Ages Hide Me Again.” After her song, the film cut to a conversation between Janet and Singing News’ Les Butler about how Eva Mae had taught her to be a professional.

Eva Mae sang two numbers, “Mansion Over the Hilltop” and “I Can Call Jesus Anytime,” with a video clip of Les Butler talking with her about her upbringing between the two songs.

After a video introduction from Eva Mae, her nephew Mike LeFevre and his group (LeFevre Quartet / Priority) sang the classic song “Must I Go, and Empty Handed” (penned by her brother-in-law Alphus LeFevre).

Former LeFevres member Ron Hutchins was featured on a brief interview segment before the next number, “Child of the King,” featuring Eva Mae’s pianist, Mark Fuller, singing the solo, with Eva Mae joining on the choruses. On the final chorus, an unidentified third voice (Janet Paschal’s?) joined in a third harmony part.

Ron Hutchins, Eva Mae, and Janet Paschal sang “Leave it There.” Janet had her part spot-on from the first note, and Ron picked his up quickly.

The LeFevre quartet returned for “Without Him.” Mike LeFevre sang the first verse; tenor Gus Gaches had the second, and took the melody through the end.

The Talley Trio kicked off the final song, “Sweeter as the Days Go By.” After the second chorus, all the singers featured at one point or another in the program joined them for the ending.

The video was finished and prepared for release before Eva Mae’s passing this May. Though not originally intended as a tribute, it serves as a good one—and perhaps as a good introduction to fans newer to the genre, just now discovering the over 70-year-ministry of this legend.

Rating: 4 stars. ♦ Produced by: David Staton. ♦ Available from: Label. Review copy provided. ♦ Song list: Rock of Ages Hide Me Again (featuring Janet Paschal); Mansion Over the Hilltop; I Can Call Jesus Anytime; Must I Go And Empty Handed (featuring LeFevre Quartet / Priority); Leave it There (featuring Eva Mae, Ron Hutchins, Janet Paschal); Without Him; Sweeter As the Days Go By (featuring the Talley Trio, the LeFevre Quartet, Janet Paschal, Ron Hutchins, Mark Fuller, Eva Mae).

Average Song Rating: 3.8 stars (of 5)

Group Members: Jerry Cole (tenor/lead, bass/rhythm/lead guitar), Cody Shuler (lead/tenor, mandolin), Dale Thomas (baritone, guitar/banjo), Bill McBee (bass, acoustic bass), Matt Flake (fiddle).

Song List: My Eyes Shall Be on Canaan’s Land; I Bowed On My Knees and Cried Holy; Blood Bought My Freedom; When We All get to Heaven; Where the Soul Never Dies; The Gospel Ship; Run On; Let’s Meet By the River; This World is Not My Home; How Beautiful Heaven Must Be; So High; The Old Rugged Cross; Over in the Gloryland; What Would You Give In Exchange; Rock of Ages; I’m Getting Ready to Leave This World.

* * *

Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad is a five-piece bluegrass group that has won a number of awards and has received a nomination for Best Bluegrass Album in the 2009 Dove Awards. They appear to be fairly popular in Christian bluegrass, but they also have deep Southern Gospel roots (as the song list makes clear).

The album contains quite a few hymns and Southern Gospel classics, as well as a number of new and more recent tunes. One of the strongest of these is the opening cut, “My Eyes Shall Be on Canaan’s Land.” The track, penned by Cody Shuler, could have passed for a classic ’30s or ’40s convention-style tune, and is ably rendered by the group. It was the first radio single from the project.

Another highlight is “I Bowed On My Knees and Cried Holy.” It’s seemingly the only recording of the song in the past 25 years where the lead vocalist is not making any attempt to be the next Michael English. Pre-English renditions of the song can be found here and there; these are typically fairly straight-ahead renderings. This rendition is unique. Even people sick and tired of the numerous English-influenced renditions will find something to enjoy in this arrangement. This breathes fresh air into a classic—no small feat with this particular song.

Other recent Southern Gospel influences can be seen in “Blood Bought My Freedom,” an original song by the Primitive Quartet’s Reagan Riddle, and “Let’s Meet By the River,” a hit for the Spencers in the 1980s.

The group also gives a nod to their bluegrass heritage with their cover of the Monroe Brothers’ “What Would you Give in Exchange.”

The project’s music tracks are solidly bluegrass, but the vocal arrangements are solidly rooted in Southern Gospel, albeit with a bluegrass twang. This is a group worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the Primitive Quartet and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Many Southern Gospel fans should enjoy this fusion of our genre’s music with a bluegrass twang.

Average Song Rating: 4 stars (of 5)

Members: Susi Cox; Naomi Hicks; Ben Massey.

Song List: This Must Be Glory; Swing Lo’ Sweet Chariot; Heavenly Sunlight; Run Home; Fairest Lord Jesus; Just a Closer Walk; See a Dead Man Fly; Carry You On; Rocky Narrow Road; Just the Way; Golden Banjo; It is Well.

* * *

Shiloh Mountain Trio is a Christian bluegrass sibling trio. Ben Massey, Susi Cox, and Naomi Hicks were three of twelve siblings of a Southern Baptist preacher and grew up singing together. Massey plays banjo in their live performances, and Hicks plays guitar; Massey plays all instrumentals on their recordings.

This CD, their debut project, is two years old but is still their current project. Ben Massey wrote four original songs for the project, “This Must Be Glory,” “See a Dead Man Fly,” “Rocky Narrow Road,” and “Golden Banjo.” “See a Dead Man Fly” is a particular standout, a well-written lyric and melody that delivers on the promise of the unique hook in its title. Susi Cox wrote three more original songs for the project, “Run Home,” “Carry You On,” “Just the Way.”

Vocally and instrumentally, this project brings to mind the 90s era Isaacs. The tight sibling harmonies shine, particularly in acapella settings like the intro to “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” and the final verse and chorus of “It is Well.” This is a solid, professional project, showcasing a group that has plenty of talent and potential.

Average song rating: 3.6 stars (of 5)

Members: Joel Wood (tenor), Dennis Fanning (lead), Jason Prisk (baritone), Nathan Prisk (bass), Greg Howlett (piano on some dates)

Song list: Jesus Saves; Safe am I / He Hideth My Soul; Where Could I Go; When the Roll is Called Up Yonder; Constantly Abiding; The Lord’s My Shepherd; Mansion Over the Hilltop; In the Sweet By and By; This World Is Not My Home; Near the Cross; The Old Rugged Cross (piano solo).

* * *

Daybreak Quartet was formed by four Christian college freshmen in 1991. They performed on campus for four years before moving to Stockbridge, Georgia and singing in that region. They began touring full-time in 1999.

Baritone Jason Prisk is the group’s only remaining original member. His younger brother, Nathan Prisk, has held down the bass part for the group for the past ten years. Lead singer Dennis Manning has been with the group since 2003. And, as regular readers of this blog know, the group’s tenor vocalist for the last four years—Joel Wood—recently departed to join the Mark Trammell Trio.

If I’m not mistaken, this CD was released on the same day that Joel Wood’s departure for the Mark Trammell Trio was announced. They have done a better job making the most of the situation than any other group in a similar position in recent memory. Knowing that the Mark Trammell Trio has thousands of fans who want to hear what the new tenor singer sounds like, they have offered this project for free download here. You get the full album if you email three friends about it; you still get half the project if you don’t want to email anyone.

So since you can get the project for free, there’s no reason not to make this an interactive review. Download your copy and post your thoughts in the comments.

Though the group has used more orchestration on other projects, this CD uses piano-only accompaniment. Some of the piano tracks were recorded by Legacy Five pianist Tim Parton; other tracks were recorded by Greg Howlett, who plays piano with the group on some dates. Their styles are similar enough that even a close listen without the liner notes handy wouldn’t reveal who played each track. (Parton played 1-4, 8, and 9.)

Piano-only accompaniment is best appreciated live, and chances are these really shine in live venues. (Not that they are poor as is. But imagining this as a live project compared to the more sterile studio setting is thought-provoking.)

The vocal arrangements are creative enough to warrant rounding the overall rating up rather than down from the average song rating (3.6 of 5). The three arrangements that most stood out to me are “Constantly Abiding,” “Safe am I” (a vocal arrangement by Tim Parton), and “Jesus Saves.”

A number of fans and commentators have compared Joel Wood to Liberty Quartet’s Keith Waggoner. Interestingly, like Liberty’s bass Royce Mitchell, Nathan Prisk is classically trained and (unlike Royce, at least to my knowledge) has performed with a touring opera company. And—oddly enough—just like Liberty Quartet, I was introduced to the group through a hymns project that started with the hymn “Jesus Saves.”

Though this recording doesn’t showcase everything the group can do (their Live Across America project, which I’ve also heard, is strong in other ways), it does give a good taste of their talent—talent inherent enough that it doesn’t have to be buoyed up by massive orchestration to be appreciated and enjoyed.

Song List: 1951 Blackwood Brothers Quartet: Rolling, Riding, Rocking; Swing Down Sweet Chariot; He Bought My Soul; Satisfied; It Is No Secret; Rock A My Soul. 1958 Blackwood Brothers Quartet: Never; No Tears in Heaven; I’m Happy and Free; Inside the Gate; I Don’t Mind; His Hands; He’s All That I Need; I’m Bound For That City; Jesus is Mine; Wonderful Savior.

Available from: Artist (Blackwood Brothers, on table).

* * *

1951 1958 Live is a 2006 DVD featuring footage of the pre and post plane crash Blackwood Brothers Quartet.

The DVD starts with a photo and video montage featuring footage of the group from the over seven decades it has been on the road.

The first segment of the video contains six songs featuring the group’s 1951 lineup, tenor Dan Huskey, lead James Blackwood, baritone R.W. Blackwood, bass Bill Lyles, and pianist Jackie Marshall. The video does have some specks, artifacts of 6-decade-old film but is surprisingly clear.

The 1958 footage features tenor Bill Shaw, lead James Blackwood, baritone Cecil Blackwood, bass J.D. Sumner, and pianist Wally Varner. The video also has some old film artifacts but is also quite clear. It appears that this may have been a segment recorded for television; unlike the 1951 segment, with the classic quartet 2-microphone setup, the 1958 segment has overhead mikes. On a number of songs (most notably “Inside the Gate”), the audio and video are out of sync enough that it isn’t clear whether the 1958 segments were the group singing along with a  separately recorded audio track or merely out of sync audio.

The songs do not appear in the order they are listed on the DVD cover; the song listing in this review reflects the actual order of the songs on the project.

The Blackwood Brothers have done the genre a service by reissueing this rare footage in a current format. This video is probably the closest modern-day Southern Gospel fans will ever be able to come to experiencing what it was like to see the Blackwood Brothers during this classic era.

Average Song Rating: 3.8 stars (of 5)

Members: Mike Franklin (tenor), Ryan Seaton (lead), Jeremy Raines (baritone), Gerald Williams (bass).

Song List: Forty Days and Forty Nights; Oh But It’s Wonderful Being a Child of the King; He Bought My Soul at Calvary; My Journey to the Sky; A Wonderful Love; Lead Me in the Everlasting Way; I Call it Home; I’ve Got that Feeling; Celebration; Still One Nation Under God.

Available From: Artist.

* * *

Ernie Haase & Signature Sound has maintained the same vocal lineup for six years. The last change to their lineup was in 2003,when Ryan Seaton left the Melody Boys to join them. Seaton was with the Melody Boys Quartet for less than a year before getting the opportunity to sing with his hero, Ernie Haase, but during that time he did appear on one Melody Boys Quartet CD, A Wonderful Love.

A Wonderful Love features the classic arrangements and tight harmonies that distinguish the Melody Boys sound. Ryan Seaton fit the sound well, both in the quartet harmony parts of the project and on his solos, “Lead Me in the Everlasting Way” and “I Just Call it Home.” The latter song is the same one the Prophets cut on their re-debut project last year; even though the song’s writer, Paul Jackson, sang it on the Prophets project, Seaton’s rendition here seems to fit the song better. The simple piano-led arrangement fits the lyric well.

Of course, Seaton’s features weren’t the only highlights of the project. (Before any MBQs fans complain about the first two paragraphs being devoted to a lead singer who stayed less than a year, let me just mention that knowing that one of Southern Gospel’s most popular lead singers  had been with the MBQ was one of the first things that interested me in the group.)

Group manager and bass singer Gerald Williams delivers a particularly pleasant rendition of “He Bought My Soul at Calvary.” Other project highlights include “Celebration” and an original Dianne Wilkinson song, “Oh But It’s Wonderful, Being a Child of the King.”

Fans of classic Southern Gospel—and fans of Ryan Seaton’s later work—will find much to like in this pleasant collection of new and old songs with the Melody Boys’ classic tight harmony male quartet sound.

]]> http://www.southerngospelblog.com/archives/2744/feed 1 http://www.southerngospelblog.com/archives/2477 http://www.southerngospelblog.com/archives/2477#comments Fri, 29 May 2009 12:00:02 +0000 Daniel J. Mount http://www.southerngospelblog.com/?p=2477 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.

* * *

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.

Song List: You Were Faithful Yesterday; I Want to Know that You Know; What a Beautiful Day; Little is Much; I’m Too Near Home; A Mighty Fortress is Our God; It Pays to Pray; You’re Not Forsaken; Better Hurry Up.

Available From: Artist.

* * *

Several months ago, Greater Vision recorded a live video at First Baptist Orlando; the DVD came out several weeks ago.

The video is fairly short, just nine songs long. It contains the highlights from their live programs over the last year, particularly Rodney Griffin’s introduction of “It Pays to Pray” and Gerald Wolfe’s introduction of Jacob Kitson (”Little is Much”) and Wolfe’s introduction of how a song so Lutheran that Luther himself wrote it won over a diffident Lutheran audience (”A Mighty Fortress”).

The program features four songs from Memories Made New (”What a Beautiful Day,” “Little is Much,” “Too Near Home,” and “Better Hurry Up”) and four songs from their last major label project, Not Alone (”You Were Faithful Yesterday,” “I Want to Know that You Know,” “It Pays to Pray,” and “You’re Not Forsaken”).

The cinematography is decent, with no major faux pas. There was no roving camera, so there are few audience shots. (Most of the times the audience is visible, it’s only the back of their heads, which is unfortunate since I have several good-looking friends who reserved front row seats.)

This DVD gives a taste of what a live Greater Vision concert is like—not really enough to capture a full concert experience, but it’s enough to make the viewer want to catch a full concert.

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.

* * *

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.