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Triumphant Quartet is reporting on their website that they are now a certified American Gospel Music artist. This is primarily interesting in noting that insiders are still taking the AGM branding seriously. It wasn’t just a here today gone tomorrow idea, like some suggested when it was announced.

One of my favorite Southern Gospel bloggers unintentionally stirred up a firestorm over the weekend with this post on Ernie Haase & Signature Sound. Most of the post was favorable, but one sentence drew criticism from a fan or two:

I can understand why more traditional(read “older”)quartet fans have a hard time watching SSQ…their entire stage presentation is an exercise in “glitz”…from their mannered vocals, to their requisite “sincere” looks on their faces when they sing songs with “deep” lyrics, to Ernie’s mike antics, to bass Tim Duncan’s borrowed stage theatrics when singing.

Now if it is assumed that every performer will have some look on their face when they perform a song–and I think that is a safe assumption–I’d much rather they put a sincere look on their face than an insincere look!

That’s the quick answer. But there’s more to the question.

You see, Signature Sound follows a practice followed by most Southern Gospel groups. They select some exciting songs that should get their audience going, and they select some “message songs” that should touch their audience.

How do they typically know that a song will touch their audiences? It will probably touch their audiences if it first touches them. I would venture to say that Doug Anderson has been deeply moved by the message in “Forgiven Again,” Ernie Haase by the message in “Oh What a Savior,” and Ryan Seaton by the message in “Then Came the Morning.”

I have found out firsthand that a song that touches you deeply and expresses what’s on your heart will always be meaningful to you, but will not always produce the same reaction it did the first time you heard it. I cried the first time I heard “Calvary Answers for Me.” I’ve played it or sung it hundreds of times since. Have I cried every time? No, I haven’t. But that song is still incredibly meaningful to me, and if I was touring, I’d probably sing it every night.

Now here’s where it gets interesting. When an artist records a song that touches hearts, every concert audience will have a decent percentage of people who have never heard them perform those “message songs.” Sometimes by request, and sometimes in anticipation of a song that would otherwise be requested, an artist will typically perform their most popular “message songs.”

Does it still touch them every time the way it did the first time? No, of course not, though it is still undoubtedly quite meaningful to them.

So what is a performer to do?

I assert that a good performer should perform a song in the way that best reaches their target audience. If “putting on a sincere look,” or, to put it in a nicer way, “looking sincere,” is the best way to communicate a serious song, would it not be best for a performer to look sincere?

Honestly, would you rather go see a group of performers who look and act sincere during the serious songs, or a group of performers who goof off and tell jokes during that key climactic solo?

There are quite a few things worth checking out this morning. First would be Chuck Peters’ report on an upcoming DVD of Anthony Burger’s final taped concert appearance.

Alan Kendall’s review of a Kingsmen/Gold City/Kingdom Heirs concert is worth checking out.

In the roundup of Southern Gospel news articles from local newspapers, check out the Daily Citizen’s (Searcy, Arkansas) coverage of the Melody Boys, the Cleveland (Tennessee) Daily Advertiser’s coverage of Dottie Rambo, and an article in the Clanton (Tennessee) Advertiser on the Blackwoods returing to Clanton to do a free concert in the same town where a tragedy devestated the 1954 Blackwood Brothers.

Finally, note this St. Petersburg Times coverage of Naomi Sego, identified as “one of five ladies being credited with being the “First Ladies” of gospel music.” This begs the question (not quite clarified by the reference to the Grand Ole Gospel Reunion) of who the other four are.

Several other Southern Gospel bloggers’ most recent posts are worth reading.

First off is Danny Jones, who “waxes nostalgic” about the good old days of liner notes on LP records. He comments that liner notes are now almost entirely a thing of the past, and they are; the last set I can think of is something he himself wrote for the Perrys’ classic release This is the Day (2003).

David Bruce Murray answers a question I asked earlier by analyzing data provided by Dean Adkins to determine what percentage of big dates the 1976 Kingsmen worked compared to the 2006 Kingsmen.

Finally, Doug at the Averyfineline blog notices that someone living in the same city Gerald Crabb lives–possibly Crabb himself–is selling the Crabb Family’s Singing News plaque commemorating their No. 1 hit in September 2002, “Don’t You Wanna Go.”

Whatever else one thinks of Bill Gaither, virtually everyone agrees that he is a master promoter. Everyone knew that when he took Signature Sound under his wings, things would start happening, but the speed and magnitude of their success has surprised just about everyone.

This recording has been one of the most anticipated recordings in some time, and it lives up to expectations. It has something for everyone, from one or two progressive tracks to several big ballads to a half-dozen classic quartet-styled songs that will warm the heart of traditional quartet fans.

The CD starts with “Someday,” a classic song written by Joe Moscheo and recorded by Moscheo’s group The Prophets, among others. (Moscheo eventually joined the Imperials several years after he wrote the song.) Doug Anderson has the official solo on the song, though Tim Duncan’s bass lines are also prominently featured. This song is a good example of a good song that was widely recorded in its day, but
has since been almost forgotten. It has been occasionally been recorded by various groups through the decades, but hasn’t been prominently featured on a major group’s project for some time.

The next song keeps up the same pace. Though its arrangement, which features Ryan Seaton on the first verse and Tim Duncan on the second, would lead some to think it was another classic, this is actually a new quartet song written by Sonya Isaacs.

The tempo slows a bit for the third song, a cover of Bill Gaither’s song “Lovest Thou Me.” Ryan Seaton, who is growing into his role as a lead singer, and Ernie Haase have the solos on this song.

The fourth song, “John in the Jordan,” is a classic quartet song that is easily one of the highlights of the project. I’ll revisit some of my earlier thoughts on this song:

This was a good pick for a radio single, because it accurately captures Signature Sound: Quartet music that is different than anything you’ve heard before while still having an unmistakably traditional feel.

The song, incidentally, features Ernie Haase on the first verse, but Ernie, lead singer Ryan Seaton, and baritone Doug Anderson trade off lines on the second verse. Bass Tim Duncan is featured on the chorus. After two verses and a bridge, the song transposes from G to A, permitting Duncan to hit a low A.

The song is quite enjoyable and should do well for Signature Sound. The chorus leaves no question that it’s classic quartet music, but it’s both traditional and innovative at the same time. It takes a quartet of Signature Sound’s stature to pull that off.

That still sums up my thoughts fairly well on the song.

The fifth song, “He Made a Change,” fills the Cathedrals slot on the album–a familiar Cathedrals song getting the Signature Sound treatment. The original version (on Faithful) featured Cathedrals baritone Scott Fowler; this rendition features Signature Sound baritone Doug Anderson. The rendition has a brass arrangement similar to that on the original Cathedrals version, yet the arrangement is different enough that Signature Sound makes the song their own.

The sixth song, “Until We Fly Away,” features Doug Anderson. It has been getting high marks from those who have heard it performed live. It is a powerful ballad, but (in my experience) has to grow on you before you can really appreciate it. Though this Joel Lindsey / Pam Thum song has a 2003 copyright date, I’d never heard it until now. Thum may have recorded it on one of her solo projects.

“Beyond the Blues” is a Jeff Silvey/Joel Lindsey song that features Ryan Seaton. The song is given a blues arrangement.

Though the album has several big ballads, the standout is the Sue Smith/Jeff Ferguson song “It is Done.” Ernie Haase, Doug Anderson, and Ryan Seaton each sing a verse on the song. I applaud this arrangement decision, because while Ryan has been featured before on ballads, this song, more than any other previous Signature Sound song (except perhaps “Then Came the Morning”) features him shining at the emotional high point of the song and bring it home, a duty typically held down by Haase or Anderson in most Signature Sound arrangements.

The one odd feature of this arrangement is the tag, a few lines of the Gaither classic “It is Finished.” The song is, of course, a perfect fit thematically–but musically, it’s not quite as perfect a fit. The song “It is Done” is written in a 4/4 meter; the song “It is Finished” is written in a 3/4 meter. Signature Sound and their producers (Lari Goss and Michael English) make the best of the situation, and do a good job pulling off the arrangement given the circumstances.

The ninth song is the Statesmen classic “Our Debts Will Be Paid,” penned by Statesmen bass James “Big Chief” Wetherington. Tim Duncan is featured on the first part of the song; Ryan Seaton takes the lead for the rest of the song.

The tenth song is the title track, “Get Away Jordan.” This song has perhaps been the most-discussed track on the project, due to the fact that the Dove Brothers also perform the song regularly. This rendition isn’t as traditional as the original (but then, neither was the Dove Brothers’). While most traditional quartet fans would lean toward preferring the original Statesmen rendition or the Dove Brothers’ version, many Southern Gospel fans will also like this version. Much has been and will be said about this song, and I won’t add to it except to say this: This is the first version I have heard where I actually understand the lyrics.

This project is a sixteen-song project. In many ways, the first ten songs seem to form a musically consistent album on their own. They are mostly quartet classics and songs arranged like quartet classics, with several big ballads thrown in for good measure. The last six songs on the album, though, are a grab bag of surprises–a novelty song, two patriotic songs, two live songs, and a full-production version of Haase’s signature song.

The first song of the last six is the novelty song “Happy Birthday Anniversary Too.” When I said some time back that there was a song on this project that would raise eyebrows, this was the song I had in mind. While I probably won’t play this song quite as often as I play the others on the project, I understand it goes over well in a live setting.

Two patriotic songs follow: “I Pledge My Allegiance” and “The Star Spangled Banner.” The first is a big ballad that Signature Sound has performed for the National Day of Prayer ceremony with James Dobson (and, parenthetically, is one of the best songs on the project); the latter, our national anthem, is recorded in an arrangement that they have performed in an NBA Cavaliers game pre-show.

The fourteenth track is “Oh What a Savior.” This is the first time Haase has recorded the song with full production. Though some have made a point of saying he lowered the key for this rendition, it is worth observing that while his original 1990 rendition was in G, this rendition is only a half-step lower, in F-sharp. It is also worth pointing out that Haase has been performing the song in F-sharp for at least ten years, ever since the Cathedrals’ Alive! Deep in the Heart of Texas (1997) recording. So the song is no lower than he has been singing it for the last decade, though it sounds slightly different due to the maturing of Haase’s voice.

The final two songs are live tracks. “Plan of Salvation” was recorded live in Anderson, Indiana, and was included as a bonus track on Ernie Haase & Signature Sound’s self-titled DVD. “Get Away Jordan” is from the audio track from Signature Sound’s live DVD, released in conjunction with this project.

Though much has been made of the fact that the project contains one classic (”Get Away Jordan”) being currently staged by another group, Haase’s selection of other songs mixes new songs with classic songs that are not being widely used at the present time. Though “Someday,” “Lovest Thou Me,” “Plan of Salvation,” and “Our Debts Will Be Paid” are all quartet classics, few full-time professional groups are performing any of these songs regularly today.

In closing, let me return to one point I touched on earlier. In many ways, I look on the first ten songs as the core of the album, with six songs added that could well be labeled bonus tracks. The two live tracks were not specifically recorded for this CD, while the four studio tracks were all recorded primarily for live performance.

If the complete album is viewed as one entity, the ending seems slightly schizophrenic with one novelty track, two patriotic tunes, and two live song. I prefer to approach this project as an album of ten songs with six bonus tracks. But however you approach it, this album offers an enjoyable mix of pretty much everything Southern Gospel quartet singing has to offer.

JimC on the Singing News forum is reporting that the Kingdom Heirs have hired 20-year-old pianist Joe Cox from the Old Paths Quartet as their new piano player.

According to Cox’s biography on his current group’s website, Cox’s musical training at the University of Tennessee includes piano education in jazz and classical music. His favorite Southern Gospel musician is Anthony Burger and his favorite Southern Gospel quartet is the Cathedral Quartet.

Update: Now it’s official.

It’s been a few days since I caught up on Southern Gospel coverage in various newspapers. So I have some catching up to do.

First, and most notably, the Gaither Vocal Band made the London Free Press. The Gaither Homecoming Tour will be at the John Labatt Centre in downtown London on May 5; artists announced as making the trip are the Gaither Vocal Band, Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, Jeff and Sheri Easter, Lynda Randle, Ivan Parker, Russ Taff, Gordon Mote, the Isaacs, Mike Allen and Ben Speer.

The Dixie Melody Boys were recently featured in the New Bern Sun Journal. The article starts off with a memorable hook–”Spend almost 10,000 nights on the road and you’re bound to see the downside of singing for your supper”–and just gets better from there. This article offers more than the standard boilerplate press release, and appears to have been based off an interview with Ed O’Neal.

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver was recently featured in the University of Tennessee’s student newspaper, The Daily Beacon.

The Harlan Daily Enterprise reported on the Southern Gospel Music Guild awards and other Southern Gospel news.

The Booth Brothers’ successes at the awards got them a mention in the Christian Retailing Newsletter.

Finally, new Palmetto State Quartet tenor Wesley Smith was featured in his hometown paper, the Decatur Daily Times.

With most of the leading Southern Gospel bloggers discussing the same topic (here, here, and here), I thought it might not be a bad idea for at least one of us to give you something else to think about.

A recent commenter at the Averyfineline blog said: “Most of the people on the [Homecoming] videos right now are in the process of becoming legends, so it’s not as special [as seeing the legends].”

What makes someone a legend?

Years on the road? Character? Musical ability? Or perhaps a combination of all three?

And, beyond Bill and Gloria Gaither, whose songs will probably be sung until Jesus returns, does Southern Gospel have any other bona fide legends still alive?

Despite a different work schedule, I will still attempt daily posts. However, most of these posts will now be in the evenings rather than the mornings.

From time to time, there is discussion of when Southern Gospel will fully take advantage of the Internet age.

Most groups have already, sometimes hesitantly, taken the first step of putting a website up. Many of these groups have also made it possible to order their products through their website. (One notable exception is the Mark Trammell Trio, which has an order form you can print out to mail in orders, but no online ordering system. I only point this out in hopes that someone who knows them personally can encourage them to remedy the deficiency.)

But making one’s music available through digital downloads is the next step. Although some groups’s music is available through iTunes or eMusic, this is typically at the label’s initiative.

As it has been observed before, there is a way to take this to the next level. If groups arrange both the licensing details and the software/website details, they can make their songs available for digital download from their own websites.

Bloggers have enjoyed imagining the marketing impact this would have if Greater Vision, Signature Sound, or Legacy Five implemented this strategy. However, those who have observed this in the past have put the question as a wish for something to happen in the future. Well, I was browsing websites the other day and discovered that, in a perhaps unlikely corner of the Southern Gospel world, the future has arrived.

The Greene’s website store makes all the songs available for CD purchase also available for digital download. Additionally, anyone who purchases CDs from their website can download the songs immediately at no additional charge, in addition to receiving the CD itself within normal shipping times.

This is the kind of innovative strategy that will take Southern Gospel marketing strategies to the next level.