SouthernGospelBlog.com

While I’ve tried a few different CD rating systems before, I admittedly haven’t done done a great job at sticking with them. At least for the next few CDs I’ll review, I’ll try implementing a simple three-option system.

Rating: Enjoyable. If a project doesn’t meet at least this criteria, it doesn’t get reviewed!

Rating: Recommended. Most Southern Gospel fans should find at least several songs they particularly like on this project.

Rating: Highly Recommended. These will be the projects that I consider to be among the best of the year.

Here are four reviews where I went back and added the rating: The Pathfinders; Triumphant Quartet; Southern Sound; Liberty Quartet.

What do you think of this system?

I don’t typically post concert announcements on this thread, but this one is worth making an exception for and posting. Charlie Sexton of Sweet Creek Promotions announced:

Recently, a very dear friend of mine, “Big Jim” Hamill passed away. Many of you already know that he was the legendary lead vocalist for The Kingsmen Quartet from Asheville, NC. Mr. Hamill had been very sick for a number of years, and spent the last year of his life in a physical rehab facility following an orthopedic surgery that he never really recovered from. At the prompting of another old friend, Mr. Lane Rainwater, we’ve planned a Memorial Concert to honor the life of “Big Jim”, and to raise some much needed funds for his sweet widow, Jan Hamill. She’s had many health problems of her own for the last several years. I hope you can plan to attend this great night of music, fun and stories as we honor the memory of this gentle giant.

The concert will feature the Mark Trammell Trio, the Diplomats, the Old Paths Quartet, the Original Liberty, Randy Miller, and Calvary’s Way. It will be held Friday, January 25, 2008 at 7 PM at Open Bible Tabernacle (545 Lorene Drive, Marietta, GA). There will be no admission charge; an offering will be received to benefit Jan Hamill and the Hamill family. A concert poster can be found here.

An interesting thread on the Singing News forums asks readers to name 10-12 songs they’d love to hear a Southern Gospel group record. I picked the Perrys–I’d love to see a Hits & Hymns 3–and named these songs:

1. God Handled it All (Gold City)
2. Hard Trials (Cathedrals)
3. Leave Your Sorrows and Come Along
4. Depths of the Father’s Love (Kingdom Heirs)
5. It is Well With my Soul - Each member on a verse, modulating up a fourth (i.e., C to F) for Libbi to sing the final verse.
6. Go Right Out
7. We Shall See Jesus (Cathedrals) - I think the time might have come for someone to bring this back…I hope the song didn’t die with Glen Payne!
8. Bound For the Land of Canaan (Kingsmen)
9. One Scarred Hand (Gold City) - It’s almost like the Perrys’ voices were made to sing Kyla Rowland songs. [EDIT: As Matt notes below, perhaps they could do this one acapella.]
10. It Will Be Worth it All
11. He Lives (Gold City)
12. I Stand Redeemed (Legacy Five) - Imagine Libbi on this one!

Obviously, the groups mentioned in the Singing News thread won’t ever record all the songs named, but there’s always the chance they might do some of them, eventually.