When Greater Vision launched in 1990, they were known for straight-ahead Southern Gospel instrumental tracks. Sure, there might be strings on one track and steel guitar on the next, but the piano led the tracks and the vocals were squarely out front. In the late ’90s and early ’00s, they went through a stylistic phase of heavier orchestrations produced by Lari Goss. For All He’s Done continues the trend started by their previous album, The Only Way (reviewed here), of a return to the style that put them on the map. Lari Goss remains on the production team, but his orchestrations tend to be less dominant in the mix.

Most of the album’s songs are fast or on the fast side of medium; only three tracks are longer than four minutes long, and two of those are 4:01 and 4:06! This hardly ends up being a bad thing, though, as fast songs provide most of the highlight moments. “Forever Is Sure” and “Looking For the Grace” are both strong toe-tappers. And don’t let the fact that the words in “Preacher, Tell Me Like It Is” fly by quickly dim their impact:

Preacher, you say you want to be my friend
Don’t be afraid to call my sin what it is
And preacher, tell me I can overcome
But it’s only by the blood of the Lamb
Don’t tell me like I wish it was
Preacher, tell me like it is 

The bridge’s allusion to I Corinthians 1:18-21 is sheer brilliance:

Life is quickly passing; the world is fading fast
And the foolishness of preaching is the only hope we have

For All He’s Done doesn’t have any show-stopping, massive anthems—nothing that would suggest comparisons to Gerald Wolfe’s landmark renditions of “Till the Storm Passes By,” “It is Well,” or “Oh Holy Night.” In fact, Gerald Wolfe doesn’t have many solos, period. He sings a verse of “Looking For Me,” and you can hear his voice here and there on other songs, but the under-utilization of one of Southern Gospel’s all-time most awarded vocalists is the project’s greatest weakness.

On the bright side, Chris Allman proves once again why he’s one of the greatest tenors on the road; his Midas touch turns anything he sings into musical gold. Rodney Griffin ably anchors his features, including the project’s strongest slow song, “This is Mercy.” It’s a song Griffin co-wrote with Natalie Harp; its imagine-if perspective on a familiar Biblical story is a device that has served Griffin well, anchoring previous songs like “They Should Have Cried Holy,” “No Longer Chained,” and, of course, “My Name is Lazarus.”

For All He’s Done features top-notch vocals and production quality and a number of strong original songs; it’s an able and competent entry in the Greater Vision discography.

The Greatest Story is a hybrid album; it occupies ground somewhere between a table project and a normal mainline. A normal Southern Gospel mainline recording features all or mostly new songs, with lush, fully produced arrangements; a table project features simpler arrangements of classics. Over half the songs on The Greatest Story have been previously recorded—some only once or twice, some dozens of times. But the tracks and vocal performances are on par with Triumphant Quartet’s strongest previous mainlines.

The two strongest tracks on the project are both new fast songs. “Take it From Me, Meshach,” penned by fourteen-year Songwriter of the Year winner Rodney Griffin, is the current radio single; “Heaven Will Be Mine Someday” is a convention song co-written by group member Scotty Inman and Dianne Wilkinson.

The strongest slower song is “There is a Fountain,” a new song written by Rebecca Peck and Daryl Williams that shares a title with the classic hymn. It’s a pleasantly mellow song with a groove reminiscent of The Kingsmen’s “Sweeping All the Debt Away” or The Collingsworth Family’s “Oh, The Thought that Jesus Loves Me.”

The song covers are all over the map. “There’s No Such Thing” brings a fresh twist and new energy to the familiar Poet Voices song. “I Saw the Light” is a Jeff Stice / David Sutton piano / harmonica duet. “The Greatest Love Story,” made popular by Rusty Goodman and previously recorded by Triumphant Quartet in 2004, is brought back as a feature song for Eric Bennett and as the album’s title track.

Then there are several songs—”If You Had the Only Key,” written by Tim Lovelace and previously recorded by the Palmetto State Quartet, and “I Can’t Help But Smile,” written by Dianne Wilkinson and Scotty Inman—that can only be described as novelty songs.

Some Southern Gospel fans prefer to purchase albums of new songs; others prefer to hear their favorite singers’ voices on songs they’ve heard many times before. The Greatest Story offers something for both sets of fans.

3:1 Reviews offer three highlights of an album and one area that could have been improved.

After singing with groups like Heaven Bound and the Journeymen, Anthony Facello joined Garry Jones’ Mercy’s Mark Quartet as a founding member in 2004. Shortly after he left that group in 2006, he started his own group, Anthony Facello and Crossroad. (They would later be renamed Beyond the Ashes.)

Beyond the Ashes carved out a spot on the Southern Gospel spectrum that moved the markers and left groups like Brian Free & Assurance or the Crist Family, by comparison, labeled as “moderately progressive.” Through a couple of personnel changes, they have maintained a consistent progressive trio sound. They spent several years with Vine Records (run by Wayne Haun and Kevin Ward); Living in the Moment is their debut release for Stow Town Records (run by Wayne Haun and Ernie Haase).

Their diverse influences show in their song selection. They cover songs from artists as diverse as the Collingsworth Family (“Oh, the Thought that Jesus Loves Me”) and pop singer Jason Mraz (“Living in the Moment.”) It doesn’t seem that Mraz, who co-wrote the latter song, intended it as an overtly Christian song; he describes himself as a syncretist who doesn’t “follow any type of religious doctrine or any type of rules that any one religion creates”; however, the case can be made that the song’s lyrics, including “peace in my heart / peace in my soul,” “I’ve let my past go past / and now I’m having more fun” and “wherever I’m going, I’m already home / I’m living in the moment” allow room to be interpreted within a Christian context.

Perhaps to counterbalance the lyrical risk in the title track—many of the other lyrics on the album cover familiar turf in familiar ways: No sin is greater than grace. Jesus gives us peace in the storm. Jesus loves us. Love whispers our name. Love comes shining through.

Fans of progressive Southern Gospel are likely to enjoy Living in the Moment. If your tastes run more middle-of-the-road (Perrys, Triumphant) to traditional (Dixie Echoes, Blackwood Brothers), it is unlikely to be your cup of tea. But even then, you may well enjoy several individual tracks, like “Where Gold Begins” and “Oh, the Thought that Jesus Loves Me.”

Sounds of Jericho is a new male quartet founded by bass singer Stacy Bragg and tenor Stephen Sigmon. Both were founding members of the Mike LeFevre Quartet; Sigmon stayed from 2005-2007, while Bragg stayed from 2005-2009. They are joined by lead singer Matt Tyler, baritone singer Ken Thomas, and, evidently since the recording’s photo shoot was completed, by arranger/pianist/guitarist Matt Dowdy.

The Story of His Grace is a surprisingly solid debut recording. As one might expect, with multiple members’ histories in professional groups, the tracks and vocal performances alike are professional quality. The arrangements are middle-of-the-road, leaning slightly progressive—reminiscent of current Kingsmen or Kingdom Heirs tracks. 

There are a number of strong tracks. “Ten Thousand Angels” is the anchor anthem, sure to be a concert show-stopper. It’s not the familiar song by the same name (Happy Goodmans, Blackwood Brothers, et cetera); it’s a song that suggests comparisons to Brian Free & Assurance.

Other strong tracks include “Deeper Journey,” the mid-tempo opening track; ”Jesus Never Changes,” a lyric-driven slower song, and “Resting Place,” a hymnlike song in a stunningly beautiful acapella setting. (The latter is not the same song as the Wilburns’ hit song by the same name).

There are twelve tracks; most are new, but four are classics (“Wayfaring Stranger,” “If the Lord Wasn’t Walking By My Side,” “I’d Rather Have Jesus,” and “Operator”). The new songs are strong enough that they don’t need the classics to raise the average song quality; in fact, the album would probably have been stronger overall as a ten-song collection, dropping two of the classics and putting the focus more squarely on the new material.

if The Story of His Grace is any indicator, expect to be hearing from Sounds of Jericho for years to come.

Last August, Soul’d Out bass singer Matt Fouch left to join Legacy Five; in October, Soul’d Out announced that his replacement would be Ian Owens, who had recently left Ernie Haase & Signature Sound. The group introduces Owens to their fans with a reissue their most recent mainline release with Owens’ vocals added, and with this table project.

Losing a bass singer of Fouch’s caliber would be a blow to any group, but Soulace 2 shows that they’re as strong as ever. Signature Sound fans who were hoping that Ian Owens would be the next Tim Duncan were disappointed, but Owens is no disappointment here. He fits Soul’d Out’s sound and style.

The project is filled with highlight performances. Among the fast songs, “I Can Tell You Now the Time” gives Owens a chance to shine, while “I’ve Never Been This Homesick Before” spotlights lead singer Bryan Hutson. Hutson, lead/baritone Matt Rankin, and tenor Dusty Barrett shine on “I Stand Amazed (My Savior’s Love).” Bryan Hutson’s years on the Kingsmen bus help towards a solid rendition of the forgotten Kingsmen gem “Say a Prayer.” But perhaps the strongest track of all is the tender closer, “Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus).”

Soulace 2 avoids over-done songs; it strikes a solid balance between classics familiar to casual fans and forgotten gems that deserve another turn in the spotlight. It’s one of the strongest Southern Gospel table projects of 2013.

Every generation of Southern Gospel quartets has a select few that leave a permanent mark on the genre by inspiring the next generation of singers to follow in their footsteps. Members of the Kingdom Heirs grew up listening to Gold City, the Kingsmen, and the Cathedrals; members of the next generation of Southern Gospel legends are cutting their teeth on the Kingdom Heirs. Look at “favorite singer” sections on countless regional groups’ websites, and you will probably see Kingdom Heirs members mentioned more than any other current group.

Some groups attempt to bring new fans into Southern Gospel by changing their approach to appeal to fans of other styles of music. The Kingdom Heirs bring new fans into Southern Gospel by capturing and perfecting the fundamental elements that have always defined and drawn fans to Southern Gospel.

These elements are found as strong as ever on Redeeming the Time. “Sermon on the Mount” is a strong album opener and would also make a strong concert opener. The two convention songs—”Just Beyond the Sunset” and “The Joys of Heaven”—are two of the strongest they’ve ever added to their repertoire. Toe-tappers like “Expect the Unexpected” and “Just Preach It” don’t disappoint. Among the anthems, the Jerry Martin-anchored “I Thank You” is a particularly strong arrangement and performance. And if “I’ll Know I’m Home” doesn’t get audiences shouting by the end of the final verse, nothing will.

Two songs deserve special mention: “How We Gonna Live in Babylon” and “Redeeming the Time.” (Rebecca Peck wrote the latter; she co-wrote the former with Dianne Wilkinson.) These represent a welcome trend in Southern Gospel songwriting. Much like the optimistically patriotic songs that frequently surfaced in our genre twenty years ago, they are cultural commentary. As our culture becomes increasingly hostile to Biblical Christianity, songs copying the patriotic optimism that worked so well in the 1980s and 1990s seem increasingly naive. In contrast, these two songs offer a more mature look at our current cultural milieu. Sure, we might want America back, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely that we’re going to get America back. If we don’t, we need to brace ourselves for the lions’ den. “How We Gonna Live in Babylon” explores this directed, while “Redeeming the Time” ponders how we can be “redeeming the time / in this evil day.”

Redeeming the Time is easily one of the strongest albums the Kingdom Heirs have ever released. It’s also the strongest album released so far this year, handily earning its five-star rating. No quartet fan wants to miss this album.

Southern Gospel has national groups, regional groups, and groups like the Childress Family. Groups in this third category are content to do much of their traveling in their home state and bordering states, but have offered decades of consistently professional recordings and live concerts. When you pick up a new Childress Family recording, you know it will be good.

Perhaps the Childress Family is best known for launching Shannon Childress’s career. After starting his career with his parents and sisters, he left to join The Hoppers in 1985. He would stay with them for thirteen years, till 1998; his skills as a producer and arranger, not to mention his piano playing, played no small role in their rise to the Southern Gospel stratosphere.

Meanwhile, he continued to help his own family from the sidelines, playing major roles in arranging and producing their albums for years. So when he died in May 2011, it was more than a personal loss to his family. They questioned whether they could keep the group going without his behind-the-scenes production skills. But they decided to try; sisters Carla Childress and Teresa Childress-Lutz stepped forward to produce the Childress Family’s latest release, Dedicated.

As it turns out, during the decades they were watching Shannon at work, they must have been taking good notes. Dedicated is an unquestionable success. Vocally and instrumentally, it hearkens back to the early-90s production style that took the Hoppers to the top—with a little dash of Talleys influence in the mix, with several members of the studio team that records Talleys projects (pianist/orchestrator Jason Webb and electric guitarist Jeremy Medkiff). In a neat twist, given the years that Shannon added guest bass vocals to Hoppers projects, Hoppers bass singer Mike Hopper adds guest bass vocals here.

Most of the songs are pulled from the repertoire of leading Southern Gospel family groups. But unlike regional groups, which often record leading groups’ current or recent hits, the Childress Family dug a little deeper and found several gems that deserved another chance to shine. These include “Calvary and Amazing Grace” (originally Talley Trio), “Anchor to the Power of the Cross” (Hoppers – a Shannon Childress co-write), and “Glorious Tomorrow” (Liberty Quartet). They add a particularly welcome convention-style touch to the latter song.

There’s no question that losing Shannon was a major blow to the family. But Dedicated proves that they came through with class and style.

At the 2007 National Quartet Convention, I met Liberty Quartet. They handed me a review copy of their CD Timeless Treasured Hymns 2. I did not expect what I heard. Out of countless hymns projects I have reviewed over the last six and a half years, I have only given three or four five-star reviews, and Timeless Treasured Hymns 2 was the first. In the review, I stated:

Since this was a hymns project, I didn’t come into the review process with high expectations. Even the good hymns projects tend to use either arrangements straight from the hymnal or familiar earlier Southern Gospel arrangements. But after hearing Liberty Quartet sail effortlessly through more chord, time signature, and tempo changes than a typical mainstream group on a major label release, I found myself hoping that their projects of new songs could measure up.

How does Classic Hymns measure up?

There are two newly recorded acapella arrangements, “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus,” and nine tracks pulled from earlier in the group’s recording history (mostly from the two Timeless Treasured Hymns projects.) 

That said, the vocal performances here are strong enough to merit a new release. Bass singer / manager Royce Mitchell is the only remaining member of the 2007 lineup; he is joined on this album by tenor Philip Batton, lead singer Doug Wiley, and baritone Jordan Cragun. (Cragun announced his departure right after this project was completed.) Vocally, this lineup can stand shoulder to shoulder with the 2007 group; they execute the Timeless Treasured Hymns arrangements with ease, and add their own touches where appropriate. Two songs where the new lineup particularly shines are “Hallelujah! I Am Free” and “There is Joy in the Lord.”

Classic Hymns may not quite be Timeless Treasured Hymns 3, but it proves that this lineup has the talent to pull off a third hymns installment—and leaves long-time Liberty Fans hoping that they will do just that. For fans new to the group, Classic Hymns is as good an introduction as any.

Amanda Allman is Chris Allman’s daughter-in-law; she married his son, Dustin Allman (of Friday Night Revival fame), about a year ago. This self-titled debut project was produced by Chris Allman; Gerald Wolfe played piano and was the session leader for the tracking session. 

With seasoned hands like these at the helm, guiding the Crossroads Studios team, the album has a major-label level of production quality. The style is middle-of-the-road. Most of the tracks would fit at home stylistically on a Greater Vision table project (e.g. The Ones that Got Away); there are middle-of-the-road songs, songs with a hint of traditional country, and two songs (“Things are Different Now” and “I’m Free”) add more electric guitar to the mix for a less acoustic feel.

“I’m Free” is the same song recorded by The Talleys on their 1999 Life Story album, as a Lauren Talley feature. (It was written by Chris Allman). On this song and a couple of others, Amanda’s voice has a touch of Lauren-esque soul. Her voice seems to be at its strongest, though, on slow and mid-tempo songs; her tone here is more like Olivia Collingsworth or Courtney Collingsworth Metz, with a little more country twang.

Interestingly, the background vocals are all done by Allmans—by Chris and his sister, Robin Allman Riggins. One of the album’s highlights is an Amanda/Chris duet on “God on the Mountain.” Their mellow take is dramatically different from either the McKameys or Lynda Randle versions, but works quite well.

Though the album has its uptempo moments, by and large, it doesn’t seem to be the sort of album that would leave you at risk of speeding on your morning commute. It’s an enjoyable and relaxing listening experience.

3:1 Reviews offer three highlights of an album and one area that could have been improved.

1: Before the Rain: This Tim Dill feature is the strongest song the Dills have ever recorded, both lyrically and musically. It captures the pathos of Job, Lamentations, or some of the sorrowful Psalms: Even in the hard times, we still praise God for His blessings. The song was co-written by Lee Black, Gina Boe, and Lisa Qualsett; Black and Boe have already written any number of hits, but even so, this would have to be one of their finest moments.

2: A King and a Pauper: Musically and lyrically, this is the album’s most unusual song. Originally written and recorded by singer/songwriter Brian Arnold, this is the song’s first appearance in Southern Gospel. But despite (or perhaps because of) its unusual traits, the song is immediately memorable. It’s a project highlight from the first spin, and gets better on repeated plays. 

3 or :1? Clear Thematic Vision: The meat and potatoes of the Southern Gospel diet is songs with a clear focus on the Cross and on Heaven. References to the Cross and Heaven aren’t gone from Before the Rain, but they’re rare. With one exception—the Marcie Kelsey-penned convention song “Oh, What a Beautiful City,” a clear high moment for the project—the songs clearly were selected with a focus on the here and now. This focus will be common to fans of Contemporary Christian Music, but it’s not like this is a CCM project. It’s a CCM lyrical focus in relatively middle of road Southern Gospel musical setting. 

To its credit, the project is not a collection of ten random, unrelated songs. But that does mean that it doesn’t exactly have something for everyone. If you like a lyrical focus on the here and now, this will probably be your single favorite Southern Gospel release of the year. If that’s not your cup of tea, this project might not be your cup of tea. But even then, in this era of single-song digital downloads, the title track is a definite must, and you may well want to throw in “A King and a Pauper” or “Oh, What a Beautiful City” while you’re at it.

Also worth reading: If you’d like a more in-depth look than this by-nature-brief review, Wes Burke’s in-depth review is well worth a read.