CD Review: “You Gotta Love It” (Triumphant Quartet)
Song list:
- Giver, Creator, Savior (Rodney Griffin) - **** - This is a strong opening cut to kick the project off.
- You Gotta Love It (Marty Funderburk, Jerry Kelso) - ***
- Smack Dab in the Middle of His Will (Chris Binion, Scott Inman) - **** - This track has a country feel, a rather interesting effect, but one that Triumphant pulls off well.
- He Will Be (Dianne Wilkinson, Ann Downing) - **** - A nice slow ballad featuring tenor David Sutton.
- Let it Be Me (Ronny Hinson) - **
- The Great I Am Still Is (Phil Cross, Twila LeBar) - **** - A nice big ballad featuring baritone Scotty Inman.
- The Old White Flag (Dianne Wilkinson) - ***** - This is Triumphant’s first bluegrass song; they pull it off well.
- He Rescued Me (Chris Binion) - ***** - A fast-paced quartet song that was a good choice for Triumphant’s first single.
- Delivered Again (Dianne Wilkinson, Ann Downing) - **** - Another nice ballad featuring tenor David Sutton.
- The Holy Hills of Heaven Call Me (Dottie Rambo) - **** - A well-done rendition featuring Clayton Inman. Both the Perrys and Triumphant released renditions of the song this year, and I think the Perrys rendition has a slight edge over this one. But both are well-done.
- I Know I’m Going Home (Jeff Stice) - ***** - This song could potentially define Triumphant’s sound, could be a sugar stick for them in upcoming years. If they send it to radio, they do need to cut the encore out; while it goes over well live, it would seem just a bit repetitious on radio.
Triumphant inserted some variety, in the form of a country track and a bluegrass track, while still remaining true to their sound. This project is probably Triumphant’s best yet–and considering the consistently high caliber of their projects, that is no small feat.
Rating: Highly Recommended.
***** Somewhat related: Does anyone have any idea why Triumphant’s website still prominently proclaims on the front page that Triumphant is “Southern Gospel’s newest quartet”?
