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Last week, Crossroads announced a re-launch of their website. Here’s the press release:

Crossroads Entertainment & Marketing has just launched a new web site and online store featuring thousands of Southern Gospel and Bluegrass songs and accompaniment tracks, available both as physical CD’s and digital downloads. Besides serving traditional CBA and secular retailers, Crossroads can now serve the needs of individual customers buying from the comfort of their own homes. The new site and store are the result of months of planning and implementation by Crossroads, one of Southern Gospel’s leading marketing companies. The website includes information about recording, track leasing, radio, labels and artists, and publishing, as well as the store. Crossroads serves as the record label to many of today’s leading Southern Gospel and Bluegrass artists as well as the distribution arm for several independent groups and partnering labels.

Crossroads executive Mickey Gamble and Sr. V.P. of Sales and Marketing, Scott Wagner have worked closely with programmers and designers to create a site that is visually inviting and simple to use. The digital download function of the store features the ability to purchase as full album releases or individual songs, and Singing News soundtracks as individual tracks. According to Gamble, “This is a first in the industry. Soundtrack users can listen to and purchase exactly the version and key they want for only $1.99, rather than having to buy the whole set at a much higher cost.”

According to Wagner, “The site is an evolving process that will constantly be updated with information and an ever expanding music library. Our goal to have a dynamic site so that people will visit often to see what’s new with our community and artists and, also, to know they can have an easy and secure shopping experience.”

“This is the beginning of a new era for Crossroads”, states Crossroads executive Chris White, “For the officers of the company, Mickey Gamble, Jeff and Vickie Collins, myself and all of our staff, this is something that makes us feel like we can finally service the world with our artists and our products, and in a matter of minutes. As we move from the world we’ve always known in our daily business, to the new world of technology, having these new pieces in our business ‘tool box’, will keep us and our music growing.”
Over the next few weeks and months, it is the company’s intention to make the online store Southern Gospel’s one-stop shopping for digital distribution, allowing other companies and independent artists the opportunity to present their products as digital downloads to a world wide market. In the August issue of the Singing News Magazine, Kenneth Kirksey will feature an article discussing how downloading music is becoming a standard in today’s world of purchasing products. The article will focus on the ease and safety of internet buying. To visit the new Crossroads site and store, simply log onto www.crossroadsmusic.com.

Enough labels and groups have started making downloads of current product available that making current releases available for download is nothing new. The news here is in their intent to eventually upload not only their own back catalog, but the back catalogs of other artists (table projects) and even labels. That’s a vision I’ve been hoping someone would catch for several years, and I’m glad to see Crossroads getting the idea and working to implement it.

Yesterday, I was listening to one of my favorite Cathedrals projects, You Ain’t Heard Nothing Yet. It was released in 1979 and was either the final or one of the final projects recorded with Roy Tremble and George Amon Webster.

The Cathedrals sang the first verse of “There is a Fountain” acapella to start the project, and another verse acapella to close it. George Younce sings the melody, and the rest of the parts are inverted above him. What I didn’t notice until yesterday is that while George Younce’s voice is unmistakably on lead, it sure sounds like there is a bass harmony part beneath it. That sounds like Younce’s voice, too. (Plus, the song is keyed in G, and the bass part goes down to a D–few baritones could hit that note the way it was hit here.)

The thought occurred to me that Younce may have done the two leadoff notes for each line before handing off the melody line to someone else and slipping back down to a harmony part. But especially on the choruses, where the bass part is also audible, it’s unmistakably his voice on the lead.

Does anyone know if he overdubbed his voice onto a second part for these tracks?

Perhaps a year ago, it was announced in Southern Gospel circles that Inspirations lead singer Matt Dibler’s nephew Byron Fouty was missing in action in Iraq. In today’s headlines, Fox News is reporting that Fouty’s body has been found.

Keep the Dibler extended family in your prayers, as this confirmation of what they had been fearing is undoubtedly tough. The only bright side, if it can be called that, is that the suspense is over–wondering if he was dead, or a prisoner being tortured, must have been almost as bad as this.

Contrary to previously published reports (including one from her label), Naomi Sego announced last night that the Segos will not be coming off the road. Singing News has the story (subscribers-only link). She will be bringing former Segos tenor Jerry Gill and former Segos baritone / emcee Scott Spangler back on board.

Sego pointed to Dottie Rambo’s death as reinforcing for her that “the Lord still has a song for me to sing, and I plan on doing just that.”

For the last few months, I have had the idea of putting together a blog where selected contributors from across the country can write reviews of concerts in their state. After about two months of conceptual and design work, the blog is ready to launch. Our contributors, from across the country, are:

• Diana Brantley (Georgia)
• Obadiah Neasham (Oregon/Idaho)
• Hannah Lefchik (Ohio)
• Sony Elise (Michigan/Indiana)
• John Scheideman (California)
• Aaron Swain (Virginia)
• Adam Edwards (North Carolina)
• Daniel J. Mount (Ohio)
• Matt Paasch (Missouri)
• Bethany Savage (Michigan/Indiana)

Some of our contributors (like yours truly) only catch occasional concerts, but other(s) catch a concert or two every weekend. So we’re hoping to have fresh content up each week. Bookmark www.sgconcerts.com and check it frequently!

The Hoppers distributed a press release announcing that they will be recording a full-budget live recording to be released on Canaan Records:

The legendary Hoppers have announced plans to record a brand new project across North America. From Jackson, Tennessee to Bloomfield, Ontario Canada.

From Jackson, Tennessee to Bloomfield, Ontario Canada, Claude, Connie, Dean, Kim and Mike will perform in front of a live audience, which will be captured and released by Canaan Records and Word Entertainment for fans to enjoy. Both old and new material has been selected for the recording including great arrangements of the classics “10,000 years,” written by Elmer Cole and “Ready To Leave,” penned by Joel Hemphill. Phil Cross and Jim Brady have written a brand new song entitled “Pathway Built For Two,” while Connie is bringing back the popular Hoppers standard “Jesus Saves.” The Hoppers invite everyone to attend this exciting once in a lifetime event. Recording cities include: July 18 - Jackson, TN July 19 - Terrell, TX July 27 - Roopville, GA July 31 - Rome, GA August 1 - Marion, NC August 2 - Bloomfield, ONT “This is going to be a fun project for The Hoppers. After many years of studio recordings, we wanted to take the gear and manpower back out on the road and capture what we get to enjoy night after night. A live audience. Being able to sing great songs with an uplifting message that so many folks can relate to is a wonderful experience. We all enjoy the power of the Gospel through a song and The Hoppers are honored to sing them.”

Not only is this a great move for the group, it is a move of genius for Canaan. Fully produced live recordings with a live band defined the genre during Canaan’s heyday. This move gives observers hope that perhaps the new Canaan will be at a level making it worthy to bear its predecessor’s name.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Tanner Stahl, baritone for Soul’d Out Quartet. The interview is available here:

http://www.southerngospelblog.com/features/200807.pdf

(Continue Reading >>>)

Rating: 3.5 stars (of 5)

Produced By: Wayne Haun.

Song List: On the Way Up; The Grave Can’t Hold Me; The Miracle Man; Out of His Way; Through Every Storm; Our Highest Praise; Because of the Blood; Joy in My Heart; I Still Have it All; The Things That Won’t Be There; That’s When God Steps In; I Don’t Regret.

Available from: HisSong, Vine, Crossroads, Springside, Amazon, Christianbook.com.

***

The main adjective that this project brings to mind is “ambitious.” Given a larger-than-average budget and a master producer, what can a second-tier group achieve?

This project gives us a pretty good idea.

It contains mostly new songs, though it includes three covers, a Walt Mills / Tanya Goodman collaboration, “Joy in My Heart,” and two Hemphills covers, “On My Way Up” and “The Miracle Man.” Song selection is good, a decent selection of ballads, mid-tempo numbers, and fast songs, though mid-tempo songs seem to be predominant.

The group has a good vocal blend; probably its most distinctive voice is Adam Elrod’s tenor part. Elrod is a power tenor in the Danny Funderburk tradition.

The album isn’t exactly traditional, but it’s not really fully progressive either. It incorporates elements as diverse as Black Gospel arrangements, orchestral ballads, and a session band with some familiar names in the (small) Southern Gospel session player universe–Gordon Mote, Ricky Free, Craig Nelson, Randy Miller, and others.

No song jumps out as a likely breakout hit for the group. But the project is quite listenable and shows promise of a group that has strong potential to be top-tier material.

Song List: My Name is Lazarus (Greater Vision); I Wish I Could Have Been There (Perrys); For God So Loved (Brian Free & Assurance); If it Had Not Been the Lord (McRaes); The Cross (Crabb Family); There’s a Brighter Day (Old Time Gospel Hour Quartet); Oh What a Savior (Ernie Haase); Climbing Jacob’s Ladder (Ann Downing); He Called Me Out (The Nelons); I Take Him Back (Mike Bowling); We Want America Back (The Steeles); In Time, On Time, Every Time (Gold City); Oasis (New Hinsons); I Found Grace (Legacy Five); Day Three (LordSong); Don’t Let the Sandals Fool Ya (Triumphant Quartet); Safe Thus Far (Hoskins Family); Fight On (Smith, White and Fairchild); Hello in Heaven (Freemans); Hallelujah Heavenly Horn (Cumberland Quartet with the Gospel Brass).

Available From: Daywind, Amazon, Christianbook.com.

Trying to review a two-year-old label compilation is a rather interesting challenge. Though it was just sent to me for review, it has a copyright date of 2006. With the possible exception of two songs that have no copyright date listed, all the songs on the project were released between 1996 and 2005. The compilation covers a decent spectrum of Daywind’s artists, with no artist being featured on more than one song.

Artist comments are included on five of the twenty songs (”If It Had Not Been the Lord,” “For God So Loved,” “I Wish I Coudl Have Been There,” “Don’t Let the Sandals Fool Ya,” and “Safe Thus Far.”)

This is an enjoyable collection of some of the most recognizable songs released on the Daywind label. But in these days of iTunes and ready availabity of individual songs, this radio compilation could be one of the last of its species.

Kyle Boering’s post a few days back on lineup consistency in Gold City and Gaither Vocal Band recordings got me thinking. If we looked at the ten most recent recordings (counting table releases but not compilations) by a number of Southern Gospel’s most prominent groups, what would we find? For each group, how many of the ten CDs were recorded by the same lineup that recorded the group’s previous project? For the sake of the discussion, how many of the ten were recorded by the same lineup with at most one change?

I counted table releases but not compilations. I counted group members if they were pictured on the cover and/or otherwise clearly identified as group members. I did not count projects slated for release later this year.

Nomenclature key: After the group name, I put the years covered by the ten most recent recordings in parentheses. After that, I identify how many albums came out with the same lineup as on the previous album, and how many with at most one change.

• Talley Trio (1999-2007). Same: 10. At most one change: 10.
• Greater Vision (2002-08). Same: 10. At most one change: 10. (This will change to 9 and 10 when their new project releases.)
• Triumphant Quartet (2003-08). Same: 10. At most one change: 10.
• Booth Brothers (2000-08). Same: 9. At most one change: 10.
• Cathedral Quartet (1990-1999). Same: 9. At most one change: 10.
• Mark Trammell Trio (2003-08). Same: 6 (of 7). At most one change: 6 (of 7).
• Florida Boys (2000-07). Same: 8. At most one change: 10.
• Hoppers (1998-2006). Same: 8. At most one change: 10.
• Inspirations (1999-2008). Same: 8. At most one change: 10.
• Legacy Five (2003-08). Same: 8. At most one change: 10.
• Ernie Haase & Signature Sound (2003-08). Same: 8. At most one change: 9.
• Gaither Vocal Band (1997-2008). Same: 7. At most one change: 9.
• Dixie Echoes (1996-2006). Same: 6. At most one change: 9.
• Dove Brothers (2000-08). Same: 5. At most one change: 10.
• Gold City (2000-2008). Same: 4. At most one change: 10.
• Brian Free & Assurance (1997-2007). Same: 4. At most one change: 9.
• Kingsmen / Carolina Boys (2000-2008). Same: 2. At most one change: 5.

Granted, if this analysis included figures for groups with particularly high turnover–Dixie Melody Boys, Melody Boys Quartet, Chuck Wagon Gang, and Palmetto State Quartet come to mind–their numbers would be significantly lower. But whether it’s a cause or result, groups with that level of turnover often aren’t quite as popular as the top-tier groups.