SouthernGospelBlog.com

What were the year’s best radio singles?

This list is limited to songs on the Singing News top 80 between January and December 2008.

1. What We Needed (Kingdom Heirs)—#1 in July
2. Reason Enough (Signature Sound)—#2 in December (#1 Jan ‘09)—I can’t believe I omitted this one on my initial draft.
3. I’ve Been Changed (Legacy Five)—#5 in January
4. When God Ran (Kingsmen)—#3 in December (#2 Jan. ‘09)
5. The Potter Knows the Clay (Perrys)—#8 in December (#7 Jan. ‘09)
6. It Means Just what it Says (Greater Vision)—#2 in April and May
7. I’m Gonna Make It (Dove Brothers)—#7 in February
8. Won’t it Be Wonderful There (Mark Trammell Trio)—#16 in June
9. Eternity Has Two (Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver)—#29 in December (#15 Jan ‘09)
10. Holy Shore (Perrys)—#8 in April

Since the best songs often don’t get singled, here’s a separate list of the ten best songs from the year that didn’t get singled (yet):

1. Grace Will Always Be Greater than Sin (Hoppers). With their next album out, I guess it’s probably pretty official that this song won’t be going to radio.
2. Blessed Be the Lamb (Collingsworth Family). They sent three other songs to radio from We Still Believe this year, and it’s a little hard to believe this one hasn’t been one of them.
3. Realms of Glory Bright (Talley Trio).
4. Coming Out and Moving In (Mark Trammell Trio)
5. Call it What it Is (Liberty Quartet)
6. Save Me a Seat at the Table (Brian Free & Assurance)
7. There is Always a Place at the Table (Gaither Vocal Band)
8. Beulah (Tribute Quartet)
9. If Only Just a Few (Mark Trammell Trio)
10. I’ll Be Ready (Dixie Echoes)

Several other bloggers have issued lists of the CDs they think were the best of 2008. Here’s my list:

1. Always Have a Song to Sing (Mark Trammell Trio)—The group’s best yet, setting the standard to which their future releases will be compared.
2. When God Ran (Kingsmen)—While this project may not quite top the projects that made the Kingsmen legends, it is their best since Jim Hamill retired. Period.
3. Life Goes On (Talley Trio)
4. So Many Reasons (Dixie Echoes)
5. Your Ticket to Music Hall (Collingsworth Family)—All right, the video quality is part of the reason why I put the CD in the top 5.
6. NQC Live Vol. 8 (Various)—It’s the best NQC compilation since Vol. 4 (2004), and goes down that that one and NQC 2001 as one of the three strongest yet.
7. Turning Point (Cross 4 Crowns)—Among the strongest debut projects Southern Gospel has seen in recent years.
8. Not Alone (Greater Vision)—Good enough to make the top ten, but not quite topping Quartets, Far Beyond this Place, or Live at FBA.

And as for my personal favorites:

1. Always Have a Song to Sing (Mark Trammell Trio)
2. So Many Reasons (Dixie Echoes)
3. Pensacola Live (Dixie Echoes)
4. When God Ran (Kingsmen)
5. Turning Point (Cross 4 Crowns)

Legacy Five was taping a DVD of their songs at NQC when, on their third and final set, a man came up on stage and made a disturbance. There had been some question over whether they would be able to move forward with the DVD.

Scott Fowler commented yesterday that they were currently doing editing on the project, trying to figure out how to edit the project so the disturbance wasn’t as evident. He said, “We are going to make it work…one way or another.”

Rating: 4 stars (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 3.69 stars (of 5)

Song List: King Jesus; He Never Said a Word; I Don’t Know Why Jesus Loved Me; These Hands of Mine; After Calvary; Through it All; The Flowers Kissed the Shoes (Jesus Wore); He Did it All For Me; I Know; Jesus is Coming Soon; Daddy Sang Bass; Put Your Hand in the Hand; After All.

Available from: Amazon, CBD.

* * *

The Oak Ridge Boys got their start as the Oak Ridge Quartet in 1943 and sang Southern Gospel for the next thirty years or so, before crossing over to country in the 70s. In recent years, they have recorded several Gospel albums and made appearances on Gaither Homecoming videos.

This compilation focuses on one specific era in the group’s history, the period from the late 60s through the mid 70s, when they were one of the top groups in Southern Gospel. (It doesn’t include any songs from earlier in the group or from their recent Gospel recordings).

The audio quality is pretty good. A couple of the songs sound like they may have been pulled from LPs as opposed to original masters, but there are few if any pops or other record artifacts.

The liner notes include photos from older eras of the group and comments from New Haven Records president Ken Harding and Oak Ridge Boys lead singer Duane Allen. Allen’s comments are the sort of thing that used to be featured prominently on an album back cover—Allen explains how Southern Gospel harmonies laid the foundation for their country success, and that they never lost their love for Gospel music.

Here are two clips of Guy Penrod singing “I Shall Wear a Crown.”

Before:

After:

Perfect Heart bass singer Mike Presnell has secured the rights to bring the group back. The new lineup will feature Wesley Anders (tenor), Jimmy Dunn (lead), and Tommy Smith (baritone).

Based on the sound clips at their website, www.perfectheartqt.com, it looks like they have a decent sound and will be a good addition to the group’s tradition.

In the News:

• Ron Blackwood is launching the Blackwood Quartet. He will be an emcee and occasional baritone vocalist. Regular vocalists will be John Rulapaugh (tenor), Josh Garner (lead), Tracy Trent (baritone), Trent Adams (bass), Joe Cox (pianist).
• Adams and Cox both performed with the Old Paths Quartet until this announcement. At least for now, the Old Paths will be performing as a trio.
• Dixie Echoes bass singer Pat Barker and his wife Kesha welcomed a daughter, Breelyn Taylor Barker, on Dec. 17. She’s their second child.

Worth Reading:

• Kyle Boreing over at Southern Gospel View definitely gets the prize for most creative SG post of the week. In “The Gospel Music Stock Exchange” he asks, supposing Gospel Music groups were publicly owned, which up-and-coming (or safe) ones would be worth investing in right now. It’s a fascinating question.

Upcoming Reviews:

• 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: CD/DVD Review – Pensacola Live (Dixie Echoes)
• January 23: Classic CD – With Feeling Live (McKameys)
• January 30: North America Live (Hoppers)
• February 6: Sunday Morning Ivories Vol. 1 and 2 (Kim Collingsworth)

My January 2009 Singing News came in today. A couple of changes jumped out as newsworthy. First, it’s staple-bound, not perfect bound. Second, it’s significantly shorter—76 pages as compared to 92 for December and 100 for November.

I also notice that a couple of major advertisers are out. Several of the big ones are still there—Daywind, Crossroads, Dixie Echoes, McKameys. But Gaither is down to two pages instead of four, and the Inspirations, Greater Vision, and Legacy Five have all cancelled their ads (or put them on hold). (A number of smaller ads are also out.)

This could explain the size difference, but it still comes as a surprise.

Rating: 4 (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 4 (of 5)

Producer: Matt Rankin, Arthur Rice, Soul’d Out Quartet.

Song List: He’s Coming Back Soon; I Have a Story to Tell; Ain’t Nobody; Please Remember Me; There’s a Bigger Blessing; Heaven Medley; There Is A Fountain; We Shall Rise; A Wonderful Savior; Joseph Got His Tomb Back; Ain’t Nobody (reprise).

Available from: Artist.

* * *

Soul’d Out Quartet is a fairly new quartet led by Matt Rankin. He manages the group, sings lead, and writes most of the songs they sing. In my July 2008 interview with Tanner Stahl, we discussed the background and mission of Soul’d Out in depth. Rather than covering the same ground here, I’ll just post a link to the interview.

The project includes a good mix of uptempo quartet songs (”He’s Coming Back Soon,” “Ain’t Nobody,” “We Shall Rise”), ballads (”Please Remember Me,” “There is a Fountain”), and hymns (”Heaven Medley” and “He Hideth My Soul”).

Most of the tracks are new to the project; three are from 2005 Soul’d Out tracks re-recorded with the current lineup. These three are “Please Remember Me,” “We Shall Rise,” and “He Hideth My Soul.” “He Hideth My Soul” is incorrectly titled “A Wonderful Savior” on the album, but it is the classic hymn; “We Shall Rise,” on the other hand, is a new song by Matt Rankin.

The lineup is solid; lead singer Matt Rankin and baritone Tanner Stahl are both good vocalists. Dusty Barrett, formerly of Crystal River, is new to the group. This is his first project, and he provides a solid tenor part. Matt Fouch is equally solid on the bass part.

Soul’d Out tries to appeal to a youth audience with their appearance. But tracks aren’t particularly edgy; the hand of co-producer Arthur Rice probably played a role in tracks that sound not unlike what might be found on a Kingdom Heirs project.

Lead singer Matt Rankin wrote all the songs on the project except for the two hymns tracks and one song which he co-wrote with Tanner Stahl. Whether or not you like the project will depend largely on how well you like his songs, and fans of uptempo quartet singing will find much to like.

Merry Christmas!

I was thinking it might be neat today to each share a thought about a song that isn’t a typical Christmas carol / song but, to us, exemplifies the meaning or spirit of Christmas.

I’ll start things off with one that occurred to me today:

“God Himself the Lamb” (Cathedrals). The lyrics of the second verse say:

“Then the promise rang
Unto Bethlehem this God reached down to man
And gave to us the only Son He had
Then when His time had come
With His precious blood He sealed redemption’s plan
And God provides Himself a Lamb”

Most songs we tend to think of as Christmas favorites are upbeat, joyful songs. This song is more somber, reminding us what a gift God gave to us some two thousand years ago.

— — —

Sony’s thoughts: The first song that comes to my mind is one we typically think of around Easter but I think it’s a great Christmas song as well.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives

The miracle of Christmas is not just in Jesus’ birth; the miracle lies in the fact that He still lives over 2,000 years later. Because of that fact, we can face every uncertain day that lies ahead full of faith and victory. Merry Christmas!

— — —

To avoid getting either me or you in copyright trouble, please don’t post any more than a verse of a song. With that out of the way, let’s hear your thoughts!