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.
