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Today’s Comment of the Day award certainly has to go to Keith, in comment #9 on this morning’s NQC Dino Showcase post. He said:

While they’re at it, give Kim Collingsworth her own showcase, too. She’s incredible. I’d pay for that one.

I have this feeling he’s not alone.

Last week, we had quite a discussion over whether reviews by local groups should be featured on this blog. I am working on an idea I hope will satisfy most readers. In the meantime, before I finalize that post, I have a little bit of unfinished business. Before I made last week’s post, I had agreed to listen to and review Harmonies for the Heart, a project by Standing By, a duo based in Spencer, Indiana. The group is composed of Dave Miller (lead/bass guitar), Bruce Yates (baritone), and Yates’ wife Lynn (piano).

The project’s instrumentation is rather unusual for the modern Southern Gospel genre, consisting solely of piano and bass guitar (except on “Where No One Stands Alone,” which adds synthesized strings). The project features eleven familiar Southern Gospel songs, “He Set Me Free,” “Since Jesus Passed By,” “Where Could I Go,” “Boundless Love,” “Oh What a Savior,” “What a Day That Will Be,” “Where No One Stands Alone,” “Goodbye World Goodbye,” “He Loves Me,” “Lighthouse,” and “Sweet Sweet Spirit.”

The duo sings the lead and baritone parts on most songs, but on two of the project’s most interesting tracks, “Boundless Love” and “Oh What a Savior,” they move one part up to sing lead and tenor.

Probably the best move this group could make would be to add a third musical part. But even without a third part, the project is an enjoyable collection of familiar songs.

Rating: Enjoyable

Over the past four years, as Archie Watkins has had frequent vocal troubles, the Inspirations have had various tenors filling in. They have now officially hired one; Singing News announced this evening that Darren Osborne is now an official Inspiration.  While Archie Watkins will undoubtedly appear at major events, and at most trips as possible, having Osborne as an official utility vocalist (in addition to tenor, he can sing lead and baritone) will allow Watkins to ease into retirement gradually, as the Inspirations gradually build the momentum to eventually carry a post-Archie group without breaking stride.

Yesterday, I checked Dino’s schedule and found that he is scheduled to make an appearance at NQC this year, on Thursday, September 11, at 2:30 P.M. Other than that this will be a showcase appearance of some sort, it’s not immediately evident whether this will be part of the Parade of Pianos or whether he will be given his own separate showcase. The Parade of Pianos has not been on Thursdays in recent years, but the Gaither / Signature Sound showcase could have led to a re-scheduling of the event.

An email is on its way to the inboxes of a few of the applicable decision-makers; I will update this post with any additional information as it’s received.

UPDATE (1/23, 11:25 AM). I heard via email from Clarke Beasley that Dino will be doing his own (separate) showcase this year. He also answered commenter Donna’s question; Gerald Wolfe will again host the Parade of Pianos.

The Dan Keeton Quartet has set their premiere concert for Saturday, March 8, 2008, in Ashland, Kentucky. What makes this unique, even as premiere concerts go, is that they will be making a live recording of this concert. More details are available here.