SouthernGospelBlog.com

Song list: Holy Angels; My Best Friend; Everything’s Alright; Family Bible; With Jesus I’ll Abide; A Lonely Mountain; The Old Crossroads; No Longer an Orphan; Shouting on the Hills of Glory; When I Met Jesus; I Won’t Have to Worry; I Have Decided to Follow Jesus; Troublesome Waters; I Will Sing; Pass Me Not.

Producer: None credited.

Website: http://tlmmusic.com/

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While this blog’s weekly reviews column focuses on reviews of nationally known Southern Gospel groups, every now and then a change of pace is nice. The Lord’s Messengers is a Christian bluegrass / Southern Gospel group based in Alto, Georgia. They have four vocalists, each of whom also play an instrument, and two additional musicians. The vocalists are Dianne Tench (who also plays rhythm guitar), Glenn Vining (lead guitar), Mack Anderson (bass), and Will Carpenter (banjo); the two other musicians are Don Wheatley (mandolin / dobro / guitar) and Carissa Woods (guitar / dulcimer / mandolin / banjo).

The album contains a mix of little-songs, classic hymns, and several current Southern Gospel songs (most notably two by the Primitive Quartet’s Reagan Riddle, “My Best Friend” and “No Longer an Orphan.”) There is also at least one new song, “I Will Sing,” co-written by group members Carissa Woods and Mack Anderson.

The album gets kudos for giving songwriter / publisher credit. While I don’t mean to imply that the reverse is always or even generally true, it’s still the case that groups that go to the trouble to list songwriter / publisher credits also tend to go to the trouble to pay appropriate royalties.

These days, Southern Gospel groups with three-piece bands are rare enough; a six-piece band is something the likes of which are only seen in the bluegrass part of our genre. While studio precision rarely captures the enthusiasm of a live bluegrass performance, this project is good enough to indicate that an evening with the group would be well spent.

Rating: 3 stars (of 5)

Producer: Jeff Collins.

Song List: I Want To Be the One; Wounded Soldier; Jesus Loves Me; I Bowed On My Knees; Higher Ground; Haven of Rest; O I Want to See Hi; How Great Thou Art; Way of Grace; It is Well.

Available from: Artist.

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This CD appears to be the debut effort by Southern Gospel soloist Brandon Andrews. Though still a teenager, he has a well-trained voice that sounds as though he was at least ten years older.

The level of effort put into this project is quite impressive. It was produced by Jeff Collins and recorded at Crossroads Studios. Several tracks were produced by Roger Talley, and Roger and Lauren Talley, former Greater Vision tenor Chris Allman, and Eric Bennett all contribute background vocals.

Andrews wrote one new song for the project, “Way of Grace.”  The rest of the project consists of familiar songs–five or six hymns, a couple Southern Gospel classics, and two Rodney Griffin tunes. The packaging and artwork is also professionally done.

Many projects are recorded to introduce new songs; this project is more to introduce the singer. Whether as a soloist or with a group, Andrews has a good voice, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ll be hearing from him in the future.

Rating: 3 (a solid 3 of 5)

Producer: Greg Day, Keith Plott, Lee Fortune.

Songlist: I’ve Got an Advocate; Thanks to Calvary; That’s the Truth; Midnight Cry; The Name of Jesus; The Offer Still Stands; He Set Me Free; There is One; This Could Be Your Last Chance; Lord it Hurts; Amazing Love; Look For Me.

Artist Website: www.keithplott.com.

Available from: Artist.

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Keith Plott sang bass for Danny Funderburk and Mercy’s Way, then from 2003-2007 for Brian Free & Assurance. Last year, he made the decision to go solo and released his debut recording (reviewed here). I commented in that review that the launch of his solo career seemed to go under the radar screen of the industry; unfortunately, despite a full touring schedule, that still seems to be the case.

This recording is a solid collection of songs, most of which have been previously recorded. The project includes some classics, “Thanks to Calvary,” “Look for Me,” “He Set Me Free,” and “Midnight Cry.” Most of the other songs have been previously recorded, but some of them received little enough attention the first time around that they may as well be new.

Speaking of “Midnight Cry,” easily the biggest influence on this project was the song’s co-writer, Greg Day, who produced the project (along with Plott and Lee Fortune). He co-wrote seven of the project’s twelve songs; his co-writer on “Midnight Cry,” Chuck Day, contributed one more. Even if there was no other point of interest for the project, it would be worth a listen to get a feel for other songs from the pens of the authors of that classic.

Plott’s voice is versatile enough to pull off a solo project without sounding forced at either end of his range. Not to spend too much of the review focusing on “Midnight Cry” (though, given the producer’s history with the song, it’s not surprising that the song is the high point of the recording), but Plott actually pulls off the song and makes it sound like it was written for a bass. That’s no small feat.

I gave the project a solid 3 stars of 5; if it had featured mostly or entirely new songs and maintained the same level of quality, I would have given it 3.5 or maybe even 4. This project is enjoyable and worth a listen.