SouthernGospelBlog.com

Rating: 4 stars (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 3.8 stars (of 5)

Song List: Ten Thousand Years; We’ll Soon Be Done with Troubles and Trials; Sail On; Great Gettin’ Up Morning; It’ll Be Joy; When Jesus Comes in the Clouds; This World is Not My Home; Love Will Roll the Clouds Away; Saved and You Know It; Amen.

Available From: Label.

* * *

Poet Voices toured as a full-time quartet from 1991 through 2002. Several years after the group retired, Phil Cross brought the name back for a part-time trio.

Love’s Sweet Story, originally released in 1996 and recently digitally reissued by Crossroads, gives a glimpse of the group at the beginning of their most popular era. This lineup had what is the best lineup lead singer Phil Cross ever assembled (with the possible exception of the final lineup): Tenor Tony Jarman, baritone Howard Stewart, bass Mike Allen, and pianist Channing Eleton. Jarman, of course, would go on to be tenor for Legacy Five, Mike Allen would become a Homecoming Friends favorite, and Channing Eleton would be part of Gold City during their Parrack/Wilburn/Trammell/Riley years.

Unlike most Poet Voices projects, which showcase songs penned by Phil Cross, this project focuses on Southern Gospel classics. The project starts with “Ten Thousand Years,” penned by Phil Cross’s mentor Elmer Cole. The group pulls out all the stops and does an excellent rendition of the song. Other highlights include “It’ll Be Joy” and “We’ll Soon Be Done with Troubles and Trials,” two uptempo convention classics featuring Mike Allen.

Most Southern Gospel fans have heard these voices in later groups. But this project’s appeal goes beyond the novelty of hearing otherwise familiar voices in this combination—this project is, quite simply, great quartet singing.

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.

* * *

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 stars (of 5)

Song List: I Shall Be at Home With Jesus; A Borrowed Tomb; His Blood is On My Soul; God Knows My Heart; Amazing Grace Recitation; Oh What a Friend; I Prayed for You; Do You Know How it Feels; Someday; I Can Almost Hear the Trumpet.

Available from: Crossroads.

* * *

The McKameys released With Feeling Live in 1992; after several years of being out of print, Crossroads recently re-issued it digitally.

After the opening song, “I Shall Be at Home with Jesus,” Peg McKamey Bean began talking about her mother’s passing and introduced the song “A Borrowed Tomb.” Interestingly, while many groups start slower and build to an emotional peak later in the night, she was in high gear by the end of the second song, particularly on the encore.

After the song, Reuben Bean intoduced and sang “His Blood is On My Soul.” By changing topics and emcees, the McKameys were able to move to a more medium gear for the next several songs.

After a medium-tempo convention song, “Oh What a Friend,” the group shifted back into high gear with “I Prayed For You.” They sustained this through the final three songs, “Do You Know How it Feels,” “Someday,” and “I Can Almost Hear the Trumpet.”

Unlike other groups whose classic projects I’ve reviewed recently, the McKameys have kept the same sound (largely thanks to keeping the same vocalists) since this project was released. If you like today’s McKameys, this project is a must-have addition to your collection.

Rating: 4 stars (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 3.69 stars (of 5)

Song List: King Jesus; He Never Said a Word; I Don’t Know Why Jesus Loved Me; These Hands of Mine; After Calvary; Through it All; The Flowers Kissed the Shoes (Jesus Wore); He Did it All For Me; I Know; Jesus is Coming Soon; Daddy Sang Bass; Put Your Hand in the Hand; After All.

Available from: Amazon, CBD.

* * *

The Oak Ridge Boys got their start as the Oak Ridge Quartet in 1943 and sang Southern Gospel for the next thirty years or so, before crossing over to country in the 70s. In recent years, they have recorded several Gospel albums and made appearances on Gaither Homecoming videos.

This compilation focuses on one specific era in the group’s history, the period from the late 60s through the mid 70s, when they were one of the top groups in Southern Gospel. (It doesn’t include any songs from earlier in the group or from their recent Gospel recordings).

The audio quality is pretty good. A couple of the songs sound like they may have been pulled from LPs as opposed to original masters, but there are few if any pops or other record artifacts.

The liner notes include photos from older eras of the group and comments from New Haven Records president Ken Harding and Oak Ridge Boys lead singer Duane Allen. Allen’s comments are the sort of thing that used to be featured prominently on an album back cover—Allen explains how Southern Gospel harmonies laid the foundation for their country success, and that they never lost their love for Gospel music.

Rating: 4 (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 4 (of 5)

Producer: Matt Rankin, Arthur Rice, Soul’d Out Quartet.

Song List: He’s Coming Back Soon; I Have a Story to Tell; Ain’t Nobody; Please Remember Me; There’s a Bigger Blessing; Heaven Medley; There Is A Fountain; We Shall Rise; A Wonderful Savior; Joseph Got His Tomb Back; Ain’t Nobody (reprise).

Available from: Artist.

* * *

Soul’d Out Quartet is a fairly new quartet led by Matt Rankin. He manages the group, sings lead, and writes most of the songs they sing. In my July 2008 interview with Tanner Stahl, we discussed the background and mission of Soul’d Out in depth. Rather than covering the same ground here, I’ll just post a link to the interview.

The project includes a good mix of uptempo quartet songs (”He’s Coming Back Soon,” “Ain’t Nobody,” “We Shall Rise”), ballads (”Please Remember Me,” “There is a Fountain”), and hymns (”Heaven Medley” and “He Hideth My Soul”).

Most of the tracks are new to the project; three are from 2005 Soul’d Out tracks re-recorded with the current lineup. These three are “Please Remember Me,” “We Shall Rise,” and “He Hideth My Soul.” “He Hideth My Soul” is incorrectly titled “A Wonderful Savior” on the album, but it is the classic hymn; “We Shall Rise,” on the other hand, is a new song by Matt Rankin.

The lineup is solid; lead singer Matt Rankin and baritone Tanner Stahl are both good vocalists. Dusty Barrett, formerly of Crystal River, is new to the group. This is his first project, and he provides a solid tenor part. Matt Fouch is equally solid on the bass part.

Soul’d Out tries to appeal to a youth audience with their appearance. But tracks aren’t particularly edgy; the hand of co-producer Arthur Rice probably played a role in tracks that sound not unlike what might be found on a Kingdom Heirs project.

Lead singer Matt Rankin wrote all the songs on the project except for the two hymns tracks and one song which he co-wrote with Tanner Stahl. Whether or not you like the project will depend largely on how well you like his songs, and fans of uptempo quartet singing will find much to like.

Rating: 4 (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 3.6 (of 5)

Producer: Nick Bruno.

Song List: All Aboard We’re Glory Bound; Little By Little; Oh Broken Heart; The Stone Was Rolled Away; The Lamb He Died to Save; Come To the Water; Sinners Plea; Lonesome Road; Glory Bound; Give Me Jesus; I’ve Made it Home; Heaven, the Place of My Dreams.

Available from: Artist.

* * *

The Southern Gospel genre encompasses many styles—to name a few, country, bluegrass, Appalachian, and ’80s Inspirational. One part of the genre far more successful than many elsewhere in the genre is the classic Southern Gospel circuit, groups that sing Southern Gospel the way it was sung 40 or 50 years ago. Some of the best groups on the classic Southern Gospel circuit are the Blackwood Brothers, Chuck Wagon Gang, Dixie Echoes, Dixie Echoes, and the Melody Boys Quartet.

Yes, the Dixie Melody Boys and the Melody Boys are two separate groups. Ed O’Neal runs the Dixie Melody Boys and has for decades; SGMA Hall of Famer Gerald Williams heads this group. He joined the group in 1949 and sang with them for several years before singing with other groups in the 1960s and 70s. He reorganized the Melody Boys in the 1980s. By around 2000, the group had built quite a following. In recent years, it has suffered from fairly quick turnover. Probably the most recognizable name to go through the group in the past few years was Ryan Seaton, who sang with the group for a little under a year before getting the call to join Signature Sound.

The current lineup is Gerald Williams (bass), Tim Williams (tenor), Steven Hickinbotham (lead), and Caleb Matheny (baritone/pianist). Hickinbotham and Tim Williams both joined this year; Tim Williams is no apparent relation. He joined the group after singing with and being a co-owner of the west coast-based Golden State Quartet for several years. Caleb Matheny, though the youngest member, is also the second most senior in the current lineup; he has been with the group since 2006.

Several of the tracks are classic or classic-sounding songs recorded in the four-guys-and-a-piano style that the group has been best known for. Gerald Williams turns in an enjoyable rendition of “Lonesome Road,” resisting the temptation to show off his lowest notes. Tim Williams is featured on “Oh Broken Heart,” the Melody Boys classic “Sinner’s Plea,” and the Neil Enloe-penned “Give Me Jesus.” Steven Hickinbotham takes the lead on the convention song “I’ve Made It Home.” The new Dianne Wilkinson song “Heaven, the Place of My Dreams” is a perfect fit for the Melody Boys’ sound, and for Gerald Williams’ voice on the solo.

Several other tracks are recorded with more orchestration. Perhaps the standout among these is “The Lamb He Died to Save.” The song was penned by Joseph Smith and was recorded by both the Booth Brothers (sound clip here) and the Mark Trammell Trio during Smith’s years with those groups. Baritone Caleb Matheny turns in an excellent rendition of the song. Juxtaposing ballads with songs like “Heaven, the Place of My Dreams” is something found often on recordings by other groups but was more outside the box for this group. However, they pulled off the ballad sound well enough that it would not be surprising to see more of this in the future.

The project is enjoyable, and this lineup shows great promise if it can stay together long enough to realize its potential.

Rating: 4 (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 3.3 (of 5)

Producer: Donna Beauvais.

Song List: O Come, O Come Emmanuel; Good Christian Men Rejoice / God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen; Who is He in Yonder Stall?; Go Tell It on the Mountain; The Birthday of the King; The Little Drummer Boy; Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee / Joy To The World; Some Children See Him; Beautiful Star of Bethlehem; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / Hallelujah Chorus; Oh Holy Night / All is Well.

Available from: Artist.

* * *

Mercy’s Well has been making their mark toward the moderately progressive end of Southern Gospel. After the success of their most recent CD, Hymns: Stories For Life, Stories That Live, when the group made the decision to record a Christmas CD, they decided to take it in a similar direction.

December: Hymns Where the Story Began features eleven songs and medleys. Most of the songs are traditional Christmas carols and hymns; “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem” is a nod to the group’s Southern Gospel heritage and “Some Children See Him” is a newer number.

The project was arranged and produced by Donna Beauvais and group member Brad Strider (tenor). The arrangements are enjoyable and innovative, in that order. One can expect that a Mercy’s Well project will have innovative arrangements, and this one does not disappoint, but the arrangements avoid the trap of trying so hard to be innovative that they miss the point of first being enjoyable.

The instrumentation, with most of the tracks being predominantly or solely piano. Cello and light percussion complement several tracks.

While some of Mercy’s Well’s earlier efforts have tended to appeal the most to progressive Southern Gospel music fans, December is a project that can be enjoyed by any Southern Gospel fan.

Rating: 4 stars (of 5)

Producer: Wayne Haun.

Song List: We Shall Wear a Robe and Crown; God Rides on Wings of Love; Jesus is Alive and Well; Hide Me Sweet Rock of Ages; Come See This Man; Sail for the Other Side; Come Morning; I Will Joy; He’s Just as Real to Me; I Am; I’m the One; Through Every Storm.

Available from: CBD, Artist.

* * *

Treasure is a collection of new versions of songs from Janet Paschal’s repertoire. In a video posted here, she has said that these are the songs that she got the most requests for from fans at concerts.

There are twelve songs on the project—six each from her Rex Nelon days and from her solo career. The Rex Nelon Singers songs on the project are “Come Morning” from 1979’s Feelings, “We Shall Wear a Robe and Crown” and “I’m the One from 1980’s Expressions of Love, and three songs from 1981’s One Step Closer: “Jesus is Alive and Well,” “Hide Me Sweet Rock of Ages,” and “Sail For the Other Side.”

“Sail for the Other Side” is a duet with Ivan Parker; Paschal and Parker perform a number of concerts together and wanted a song they could do together at those concerts.

Her solo career is represented by one song from 1986’s Janet Paschal Live (God Rides on Wings of Love) and, surprisingly, five songs from 1990’s Language of the Heart: “Come See This Man,” “I Will Joy,” “He’s Just As Real to Me,” “I Am,” and “Through Every Storm.” The five songs are individually and collectively a good enough fit that I’m not complaining. Yet it was slightly surprising.

If you have a habit of following the back cover track listing on your first listen to a CD, prepare to be slightly confused. The list is so disordered that the only song in the place it actually appears on the CD is the first song, “We Shall Wear a Robe and Crown.” The actual order in which the songs appear is: We Shall Wear a Robe and Crown; I Am; Come See This Man; God Rides on Wings of Love; I’m the One; I Will Joy; Jesus is Alive and Well; Come Morning; Through Every Storm; Hide Me Sweet Rock of Ages; Sail For the Other Side; He’s Just as Real to Me.

As someone who has only heard a few of the original versions of these songs, I’m not really in a position authoritatively comment on how these versions compare to the originals. But standing on its own merits, this is a strong and enjoyable recording.

Rating: 4 (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 3.9 (of 5)

Producer: Gus Gaches.

Song List: Must I Go Empty Handed; I Love Him So; Cloud He’s Coming Back On; When I Get Carried Away; Gulty; I Bless Your Name; It Takes Faith; Glory Road; First Day in Heaven; Without Him; How Great Thou Art; Total Praise; In His Will; To Get to Jesus; Days of Elijah.

Available from: Artist.

* * *

Groups like Greater Vision, the Perrys, and Gold City have years of mega-hits to draw on to win over an audience and warm them to receiving their new material favorably. Newer groups like the Mike LeFevre Quartet, even though they have several albums under their belt, have to work with lesser-known songs and, when singing classics, songs introduced by other groups.

This video is the LeFevre Quartet’s first DVD. Even though only four or five songs on the project are original to the group, the program is a good mixture of classics, all-but-forgotten Southern Gospel songs, and Southern Gospel renditions of current praise songs that provides a solid introduction to the group.

The video quality is top-notch. The roving cameraman and the boom camera operator were both at the top of their game on the night of the taping, and the editing is also superb.

The LeFevre Quartet is remarkably agile at shifting stylistic gears seamlessly. Mike LeFevre’s voice is a solidly Southern Gospel baritone; David Staton’s lead vocals have a contemporary edge. A segment of Southern Gospel classics transitions into a segment of fully orchestrated praise songs so smoothy that one has to be following closely to even notice that the group has shifted gears.

The group starts the program establishing its Southern Gospel bona fides with two LeFevre songs, a Happy Goodmans classic, and Mike Lefevre’s signature song, “When I Get Carried Away” (after a witty comedic introduction by tenor Gus Gaches). After several newer songs with soundtracks, the group sings several Southern Gospel classics with a live band. The band—pianist Trey Ivey, drummer Jordan LeFevre (Mike’s son), and bass guitarist Gary Coursey (former Singing Americans bass guitarist who plays select MLQ dates), brought a boost of energy to the program.

The program closed with several original and praise songs, ending on a strong note with “Days of Elijah.”

Rating: 4 (of 5)

Executive Producer: Gary Casto.

Song List: Brother, Don’t Lose the Shout; Good News; In the Shelter Of His Hands; Heaven in Sight; Every Day With Jesus; You’d Better Have a Boat; There is an Eye; Beulah; This I Know; When Those Gates Open Wide; I’m In That Crowd.

Available from: Artist (at least at concerts).

* * *

The summary on the back of this DVD describes it as “the first Live DVD ever recorded on the high seas of a gospel concert!” That may indeed be true; at any rate, it is the first such Southern Gospel DVD I have heard of. This project, Tribute Quartet’s first DVD, was recorded on Templeton Tours’ 2008 Jubilee at Sea to the Bahamas cruise.

The concert was filmed in the Astoria Lounge of the MS Celebration. Probably largely due to this setting, the lighting is quite dark. (A half-point was deducted from the rating due to the lighting.) Other than the lighting, the camera work is solid. Neither the camera work nor the editing dazzle the viewer with special effects (like, for example, on a Signature Sound video), but it serves its purpose well—it fades in the background and does not distract from the concert.

The original lineup of Tribute Quartet was Gary Casto singing lead (and managing the group), Josh Singletary singing baritone and playing piano, Dennis Dugger singing bass, and Jacob Kitson singing tenor. This lineup recorded the group’s debut and sophmore CDs (their only two released to date); this DVD was their final project together before Jacob Kitson left to join Greater Vision. (He has since been replaced by Brian Alvey.)

The program is a mix of ten new songs (from their first two recordings) and a piano solo (”Every Day With Jesus”) from Josh Singletary. There is a good mixture of convention-style songs, ballads, and even a novelty number or two (most particularly “There is an Eye,” sung by Josh Singletary, which Casto introduced as being in a Frank Sinatra style.)

The front cover notes: “Featuring Extended Bonus Footage.” The extras—footage of the ship and scenery, and of the four members playing in the water and taking in the sights—actually form a large part of giving the film a Caribbean feel. The main program could just as easily have been filmed in a moderately dark hotel banquet room somewhere and achieved the same results, but the extras help accentuate the uniqueness of the setting.