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.

Is it a coincidence that Paul Harkey is wearing a short tie on Glorious Day‘s album cover?

Ernie Haase thinks visually; small details don’t escape him. It’s probably no coincidence that Harkey’s debut album cover with the group has a distinct visual connection to the era that took the group to the top of the genre some eight years ago.

While recently departed bass singer Ian Owens’ voice was a cultured and perhaps even high-church departure for the group, Harkey brings back the excitement and flair of the Tim Duncan era. In fact, a fan of the group eight years ago who hearing the group on the radio today, might not even notice that there had been a bass singer change. Given how beloved Duncan was, and that his eight years with the group included the group’s most popular era to date, this is hardly a bad thing.

Harkey has two stellar solos, “Scars in the Hands of Jesus” and “Two Coats. Both have been historically identified as songs for higher timbres of voices; “Scars in the Hands of Jesus” was a Florida Boys’ tenor feature staple for years, while “Two Coats” is a classic Ralph Stanley bluegrass tune. Harkey’s fresh interpretation of each song makes the songs fully worth this revisiting.

No factor is more determinative of an album’s quality than the strength of its songs. This is the strongest collection of new songs Signature Sound has put together since their 2006 release Get Away Jordan (reviewed here). Besides the two Harkey features already mentioned, other standout tracks include the uptempo quartet song “Water-Walking God” and the mid-tempo-with-a-touch-of-soul Ernie Haase feature “When I Was a Sinner.” There’s also a live acoustic version of “Sometimes I Wonder,” a Doug Anderson feature that was easily the standout track on Signature Sound’s previous mainline, Here We Are Again (reviewed here). 

Ernie Haase is definitely not one to think inside the box. In the decade he has been running Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, he has never gone more than a year or two without trying something dramatically unique. Sometimes his innovations bring the genre forward. Other times (e.g. “Happy Birthday, Anniversary Too” and perhaps “Everytime”), he’s so far outside the box that the Southern Gospel box will never catch up!

Ten years from now, looking back at this project, will we see a couple of things that, in retrospect, look cheesy? Perhaps. But we’re also fairly certain to see a number of things and think that the group was a decade ahead of their time. That’s the risk innovators take.

One aspect particularly stands out: Ten to fifteen years ago, digital studio technology reached a point where vocal and instrumental performances could be enhanced to a level of perfection beyond the best humanly possible performance. Digitally induced perfection quickly caught on in this genre and others. Several of the songs on Glorious Day suggest that Ernie Haase and producer Wayne Haun seem to think that this trend has peaked and run its course. Songs like “Shh, Be Still” and “When I Was a Sinner” aren’t phrased as tightly as similar songs on previous albums. (Put another way, there are slight differences between when group members singing harmony parts start or end a musical phrase.) Could it be that Southern Gospel fans have reached a point where they are ready to prefer performances that are a little less polished and more human? Haase and Haun seem to think so, and I suspect they might be right.

Glorious Day might not be the single strongest recording Ernie Haase & Signature Sound has ever recorded. (“Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord” stays close enough to previous versions that it would have been more at home on a table project.) But it is the strongest project of new songs they have recorded in six or seven years. If you loved Signature Sound in the Seaton/Anderson/Duncan era, but haven’t been following as closely since, the time has definitely come to give them another chance.

Several months ago, the Collingsworth Family recorded and released two DVDs; one featured songs from their recent Christmas release (reviewed here), while the other featured songs from their 2011 mainline release, Part of the Family (reviewed here). 

Five of the songs they recorded for these DVDs are not available on any of their CDs. Limited Edition features the live renditions of these five songs. Two are vocal; three are instrumental. The two vocal performances are the opening hymn (“Since Jesus Came Into My Heart”) and an a cappella rendition of “God Bless America.” Of the three instrumentals, one (“The Prayer”) is a violin duet between sisters Brooklyn and Courtney Collingsworth, and the other two are Kim Collingsworth piano solos. “When We All Get To Heaven” shows that though Kim may not play the classic convention-style piano solo every night, she can play that style with the best of the male quartet pianists. “Battle Hymn of the Republic” is a show-stopper, in the tradition of her now-classic renditions of “How Great Thou Art” and “It is Well With My Soul.”

Especially due to the fact that there are only two vocal performances, this isn’t the CD you would want to use to introduce a new Southern Gospel fan to the group’s music. On the other hand, especially if you’re a fan of Kim Collingsworth’s piano playing, it’s definitely worth picking this title up for the two piano solos alone.