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“Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31).

As I read Psalm 107 last week, I was struck by the fervent desire of the Psalmist to see those whom God has blessed (namely everybody) give thanks to God for His goodness. For some reason, people seem to find a lot more time to complain than to rejoice about what God has done for them. “Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”

With Thanksgiving coming up on Thursday, it occurs to me that this is the perfect time to not just thank God on that one day but to actually get in the habit of praising Him for His goodness.  My challenge to each of us is to take this week and not ask God for anything. God knows what we need but I feel like what He wants to hear right now is how much we appreciate what He has already done for us. The truth is if God never answered another prayer, or given us another thing, He’s already been far better to us than we deserve.

I wonder if the reason people get mad at God is because they feel like God owes them something. What ingratitude! God has promised to never leave us or forsake us and what could be more important than to just have Him? Yet He also blesses us with family, friends, music and a myriad of other things “to brighten our lives.” I can’t praise Him enough for how good He has been to me!

In the news

• Canaan Records is offering a free digital download of a complete sampler CD of tracks from Canaan artists. Visit http://www.canaanrecords.com/sampler/index.html and input your email address and the code “FREEGIFT”.
• The Gaither Homecoming Tour is scheduled to make an appearance in Dothan, Alabama on January 30. Impressively, according to this article, the event sold out all 2,800 seats in four hours’ time. (The article also says Bill Gaither is “known in Southern gospel circles as the king of the genre.” Interesting.)
• The court case resulting from the accident that killed Canadian Gospel singer Warren Parker of the Parker Trio has been resolved. The lawyer for the drunk driver that killed Parker and left the scene of the accident was able to get his client probation by persuading the jury that the driver was disoriented and “not coherent enough to register that someone had been killed.”

Also Worth Reading

• On a brighter note, check out Lauren Talley’s coverage of the Talley Trio / Booth Brothers joint concert tour in Norway.

Upcoming Reviews

• November 25: Classic CD – Live from the Alabama Theater (Karen Peck & New River)
• November 28: DVD – Live (Mike LeFevre Quartet)
• December 2: Southern Gospel’s 15 All-Time Favorites Vol. 2
• December 5: A Classic Canaan Christmas (Various Artists)
• December 9: Treasure (Janet Paschal)
• December 12: December (Mercy’s Well)
• December 16: Hymns from Chigger Hill (Chigger Hill Boys & Terri)
• December 19: Destination Heaven (Melody Boys Quartet)
• December 23: Hymns of the Faith (Hayes Family)
• December 26: Ain’t Nobody (Soul’d Out Quartet)
• December 30: The Gospel Sessions (Oak Ridge Boys)
• January 2: Easier to Live (Voices Won)
• January 9: Classic CD – A Tribute to the Songs of Bill & Gloria Gaither
• January 16: Pensacola Live (Dixie Echoes) – review of CD only for now
• January 23: Classic CD – With Feeling Live (McKameys)

In my post #1000, I asked for thoughts and suggestions on the future direction of the blog. I’m still thinking through the feasibility of some of the structural changes, but I was able to implement one suggestion fairly easily. Reader AR, your request is answered: Recent Comments now shows the most recent 20 comments.

I make specific mention of this in case some readers hadn’t particularly noticed the feature. It shows the most recent (now) 20 comments on any thread. Part of the idea is to alert you to any newly active discussions on old posts.

This is about the time of year when the directors of the National Quartet Convention start putting together the following year’s mainstage lineup.

They had a great lineup last year. Virtually every group I heard on mainstage belonged there (and I’ll keep my thoughts on the few exceptions to myself).

But there are a couple of groups that I think they would be wise to add this year that weren’t on last year’s lineup. Here’s my top 5 [edit: 10]:

1. The Collingsworth Family. Each year it gets a little harder to believe that they’re still not on mainstage. Though they did leave a day early for a concert this year, they have been faithful to the fans and the convention, manning a booth for at least the last several years and doing those little two-song sets in the regional artist showcases.
2. The Chuck Wagon Gang. The rationale is simple. They’ve been there for years, there’s a good chunk of fans that love ‘em, and their sound is unique. They don’t sound like anyone else on the program, and some variety is nice.
3. N’Harmony. I’ve heard rumors about a one-year-rule, that groups have to be going for at least a year before they’ll get an invitation to the mainstage. The group had formed several months before NQC, though their first concert wasn’t until a little while afterwards. This group’s sound is solid and they are worthy of a mainstage spot.
4. The Blackwood Brothers. Even if you set aside the fact that this is the group that started the convention, this group is worth giving at least one slot on their own merits. Jimmy Blackwood has built a group with the classic Blackwoods sound, anchored around a voice which sounds so much like his father James Blackwood’s voice that hearing them is almost like stepping back in time. Plus, they are one of a very few groups to do the two-microphone gig (the Dixie Echoes being the only other major group that comes to mind). It’s rare enough that it sets them apart.
5. Liberty Quartet. They did so well in the showcases this past year that they got an invitation to do a song on the mainstage Saturday night before the Fan Awards. This year, I’d love to see them get a direct invitation.
6. The Ball Brothers. I simply can’t believe that I forgot the Ball Brothers and the rest of these five.
7. Old Paths Quartet. They stand a serious chance of being one of the new hottest groups around. Especially with their live band.
8. Diplomats.
9. Weatherfords. Even if their past wasn’t enough, they are good enough now that they’re worthy of mainstage on their own merits.
10. The Melody Boys Quartet.

The danger of listing only 5 is that there a number of other worthy groups that I didn’t name. I would agree that many of them are deserving of getting at least one set in the mainstage. So…who are your top 5?

Rating: 4.5 (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 4.3 (of 5)

Producer: Royce Mitchell, Kevin Plew, Keith Waggoner.

Song List: Hallelujah! I Am Free; Count Your Blessings; Standing On the Promises; Don Christensen Tribute; How Great Thou Art; My Savior’s Love / And Can it Be; It is Well With My Soul; Hymn Singalong; Battle Hymn of the Republic; There is Joy in the Lord; Wonderful Grace of Jesus; Trust and Obey; Holy, Holy, Holy.

Available from: Artist.

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Rating: 4.5 (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 4 (of 5)

Producer: Royce Mitchell, Kevin Plew, Keith Waggoner.

Song List: At Calvary; The Old Account Settled; When the Roll is Called Up Yonder / Hallelujah, We Shall Rise; Jesus Saves; Precious Memories; In the Garden; Hymn Singalong; Soldier Medley; No Not One; He Keeps Me Singing; Abide with Me; What a Day That Will Be / Until Then.

Available from: Artist.

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Liberty Quartet is a full-time Southern Gospel quartet based in Boise, Idaho. In 2004, they recorded Timeless Treasured Hymns; I understand this became their best-selling album ever. They followed it in 2007 with Timeless Treasured Hymns 2, probably the only hymns project I have ever given a 5-star rating in a review (here).

The two DVDs include 24 songs, twelve per. Both were recorded on the same night in Meridian, Idaho. Unlike some groups (case in point: Chuck Wagon Gang) which package two-DVD sets in the same case, the two discs have their own cases and their graphic designs. (Trivia: The Hymns 1 CD had a red theme, while Hymns 2 had a blue theme; this is reversed on the DVDs.)

The project is not without its minor flaws. The lighting left a little to be desired; audience pans and a few group close-ups were a little too high-contrast. One blooper also made it in: In “My Savior’s Love / And Can it Be,” there’s one point (at about 20:10) where lead singer Dan Gilbert isn’t singing with his vocal stacks. But one is inclined to forgive Liberty their occasional bloopers because they know how to poke fun at themselves; both Hymn Sing 1 and Hymn Sing 2 have bloopers reels, with out-takes that most groups would never let see the light of day.

But little glitches aside, the arrangements are exceptional and the delivery is solid. Most of the songs on their two hymns projects are included. Unfortunately, “Face to Face,” the track I thought was the best from Hymns 1, and “Crown Him With Many Crowns” from Hymns 2 didn’t make the cut. But most of the highlights of both CDs made it on.

A few tracks not found on either CD—”Hallelujah! I Am Free” and “There is Joy in the Lord”—were included. There are also three acapella songs, “Wonderful Grace of Jesus,” “Holy Holy Holy” (the closing song on Hymn Sing 1), and “Until Then” (the closing song on Hymn Sing 2).

I understand that the video taping was the first time that the group ever staged several of the tracks on the CDs. The performances go over well, and these arrangements should continue to be concert highlights for the group for years to come.

A while back, I posted on the iTunesRegistry website. It’s a fascinating way to analyze your music listening habits in ways that iTunes itself doesn’t track.

Anyhow, I just updated my account with current data. For any of you curious enough to want to see it, here’s the link:

http://www.itunesregistry.com/home/danielmount

If you primarily listen to music in iTunes and have an account there, feel free to post your account in the comments.

A couple of weeks ago, we discussed the purpose of a Gospel concert. There were many good answers, from a variety of viewpoints. I promised to share my own answer in a post which depended on that question.

I believe the purpose of a Gospel concert is to present Gospel truth through song, to draw the listeners closer to the Lord—the unsaved to salvation and the saved to a deeper, closer walk with the Lord.

Do patriotic songs help accomplish the purpose of a Gospel concert?

Don’t misunderstand me: Asking this question doesn’t make me against patriotism. Patriotic songs have their place. I’ve gone to a decent number of Veterans’ Day parades and Memorial Day ceremonies, and the national anthem belongs there. I get a chill down my spine when Taps is played, and it’s not from the cold weather. Nobody is out to ban patriotic songs; the question is whether their place is at a Gospel concert.

That, of course, depends on the purpose of a Gospel concert. If it’s to provide clean entertainment, or, as one commenter wittily put it, sell records, perhaps it fits. At least it will bring the audience to its feet; most any audience will rise in respect to the flag, even if that’s the only time they stand all night.

But if the purpose is to point people to the cross, is including what one industry type described to me as “the big flag-waving moment” a detour and distraction?

Only in Southern Gospel could you go up to a 40-something performer after a concert and hear a little old lady say this—and mean it as a compliment:

“This is the best concert I’ve heard since I heard your group back in ‘52. And you weren’t even born yet!”

(The group was the Blackwood Brothers, and the singer was Randy Byrd.)

For several years, Singing News has owned the domain name www.southerngospel.com. When I researched domains for this site in 2006, I found that the domain and www.singingnews.com domains have the same administrative contact and are hosted on the same nameservers (among them NS1.SINGINGNEWS.COM).

Every time I checked—until this morning—www.southerngospel.com redirected you to www.singingnews.com. Today, there’s a new site design, using content from Singing News writers.

Could this design be coming soon on the Singing News domain as well?

Available from: Artist (at least at events).

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On this three-CD set, Jeff Ferguson (and special guest Regi Stone) explain the three steps to a successfully published song. First, you have to write a great song. Second, you have to have a great demo of the song. Third, you have to get it to the right person at the right time (and the person has to be expecting it).

The first disc covers some of the basics, getting hindrances out of the way, clustering thoughts, and goes through some practices to spark creative writing. Several exercises are offered. Some are one-minute exercises, others are 15-minute exercises. However, since blank space doesn’t make sense in the editing, the edited audio skips from one exercise to another, so be prepared to either skip the exercises or have your CD player’s pause button handy. Another minor quibble: Be prepared for sudden stops between the three CDs. They probably had to cut mid-story (and, it seems, mid-sentence on the first CD) to get the entire program onto three CDs.

The second disc gets more specific, offering ten things necessary for songwriting. Nearly the first half of the CD is devoted to the first point, necessary tools. Then they move onto other points, covering common mistakes to avoid and creating necessary structures for an internally consistent song.

The third disc starts with a co-writing session—showing one of the ways a recording can’t duplicate the experience of actually being there. The attendees break up into six or eight groups and write a third verse to “He Touched Me.” They found out when they got back that they had to perform their verse. Though some were better singers than others, each of the verses had some real merit (and a few had some excellent lines).

The last twenty minutes of the third disc discuss the other two points, making a demo and getting it to the right person. Though the most important of the process is writing the right song, the last twenty minutes alone are worth the price of the project.

Most of the seminar focused on crafting a lyric; though there were a few tips on crafting melodies, there was surprisingly little. Perhaps writing a good melody is something that can’t be taught. But there are some basic principles—structure of chord progressions, harmonies that can and can’t be used in Southern Gospel (if you want a group to cut it), etc.

But for anyone who is serious about learning songwriting, especially if the lyrics side is the area they need to work on the most, this conference set is valuable and worth the cost.