Worth Knowing

• The Gospel Music Association is promoting the April 19th Dove Awards show by offering a free download sampler of several nominated songs, here. (The version I downloaded included Brian Free & Assurance’s song “Never Walk Alone.” I don’t know if different readers get different songs.) Their publicist also compiled a Spotify playlist of the Southern Gospel nominees for SouthernGospelBlog.com readers, here.
• Daywind distributed a press release yesterday announcing that Rick Shelton has been named Vice-President of Daywind Music Publishing. They have also hired Stephen Duncan as Creative Director; Duncan will focus on expanding Daywind Music Publishing’s role into Praise & Worship, Adult Contemporary, and Christian hit radio.
• The Crist Family has launched a polls feature on their website. They plan to offer a mixture of light-hearted and more serious poll questions. The first one is definitely light-hearted, asking what color alto singer Breana Crist should dye her hair in her upcoming wedding!
• Signature Sound will return to sing the National Anthem at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 night race on Sunday, Sept. 2. The press release quotes Haase as saying: “Doug, Ian, Devin and I are so excited to be coming back to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the third year running.” Pianist Wayne Haun, who has provided a fifth vocal, was not named; it’s not clear whether they will be doing a four-voice arrangement. (Hat tip, Josh.)

Worth Reading

• Check out new Southern Gospel blogger The View from The Pew.
• R.C. Sproul Jr. offers a thought-provoking take on whether Christians should love this country.
• Dan Wallace asks if we should love the Muslims as our neighbors—even the ones who want to kill us. He reminds us that Jesus loved those who sought to kill (and did kill) Him.

Worth Watching

Tribute Quartet has launched a new section to their website, Tribute TV, with several behind-the-scenes videos. Check them out here!

Worth Discussing

It’s open thread Saturday—you decide!

3:1 Reviews offer three highlights of an album and one area that could have been improved.

1. Original Songs: Members of the Mark Dubbeld Family wrote all of the project’s songs. Most were written by mother Janene Dubbeld; father Mark Dubbeld co-wrote one.

2. “The Reward”: This song offers a unique perspective on the call to Christian service: “That’s why I give up myself as an offering / That the Lamb may receive the award / The reward of His suffering.” Anchored by a solid vocal performance and a Milton Smith orchestration, it’s easily the project’s showstopper.

3. “I Won’t Be a Stranger”: This mellow song about being known as Christ’s in Heaven has a particularly well-crafted lyric. The featured female vocalist’s voice has a timbre which works well for this mellow approach. The song, though, is strong enough that a power treatment from a rich alto like Chris Freeman or Libbi Perry Stuffle could make the song a show-stopper.

:1. Synthesized Brass: At points, particularly on “My Answer is Yes,” the brass sounded synthesized. (Based on the album credits, it appears that it was.) The album would probably have been better off with no brass.

 Cross 4 Crowns owner/manager Allen Leath just announced on Facebook that Cross 4 Crowns is disbanding:

Well, Facebook friends, it is with bittersweetness, yet anticipated excitement, that I formally announce what some may already know. For the present time, Cross 4 Crowns, as a group, is retiring from the road. This has been an incredible 6+ years of singing for Jesus. We have seen many, many souls saved, gotten to share the stage with people I never imagined we would. We have had the opportunity to meet incredible friends all across the country, and have been blessed by each one of them.

There have been several people who have shared in this ministry and I want to publicly thank them all from the bottom of my heart for their service here. They are: Andrew Young, Andy Stringfield, Ray Scarbrough, Tommy Smith, David Hoskins, Jonathan Kunkle, Dallas Rogers, Davis McCammon, Matt Felts, Marcus Faulknor, Bob Jenkins, Josh Jenkins, and Tim Owens. And one special thank you to the bass singer of every Cross 4 Crowns concert that has ever been, Justin Terry. These guys have all been a special addition to my family, and I love them all.

I am continuing my singing ministry as a singer who picks, or a picker who sings…lol…not sure which, but please pray for me and each one of the men mentioned above that God will continue to use us for His glory. C4C will continue to fill select dates, so stay tuned!

Cross 4 Crowns came on the national scene with a dramatic flourish; their 2008 debut project Turning Point was the first major-label debut that received a SouthernGospelBlog.com 5-star rating (here). 

Bass singer Justin Terry recently left the group to pursue a solo career. (Terry’s solo debut project, Inspired, recently came out, and will be reviewed here on 4/13).

They will be missed.

About a year ago, Triumphant Quartet bass singer Eric Bennett lost two nephews, killed in tornadoes that swept through Alabama. He responded by writing a song of lamentation and hope, “God Works All Things For Good.”

Tornadoes wreaked havoc across multiple states earlier this week. In response, Triumphant Quartet is giving away both the studio version (from Songs From the Heart, reviewed here) and a live version of the song on BandCamp, here.

Also of interest (to, as BandCamp puts it, “Audiophiles and Nerds”): They have made most or all of the remainder of their catalog available for sale on BandCamp. The prices are no different than iTunes, but instead of getting iTunes’ lossy AAC formats for your $9.99, you have the option of lossless FLAC or Apple Lossless formats.