|
|
||
Dave's Top Eight
1. Jerry Reed...Revisited by Darrell Toney (reviewed 6/07) (5 Stars) Click title to purchase at CBD.com...click artist name to read Dave's Review. A CD will automatically fall out of the Top Eight after twelve months if no CD surpasses it before then.
|
Most Recent Articles
Why blog? (Three years and counting)
| ||
-----------March 26, 2005Brian Free Review Rating: 4 1/2 STARS (DBM)/4 STARS (JH)Producer: Wayne Haun Label: Daywind Records Website: www.brianfreeandassurance.com Song Titles: “The Foundation Medley,” “Why Not Make It Now,” “He's All That,” “Goodness And Mercy,” “Only By The Blood,” “We'll Say Goodbye,” “Knock No More,” “Healed,” “For God So Loved,” and “Long As I Got King Jesus” James Hales (JH): David Murray and myself will be doing a joint review of this latest effort from one of Southern Gospel's most popular male quartets, Brian Free & Assurance. Recorded live at Christ Tabernacle in New York City, the recording is both exciting but yet somewhat ordinary for me. While there are several outstanding songs on this recording, there isn't a lot that really reaches out and grabs me and screams, “LISTEN TO ME!” I really wanted to love this new recording, as the group's last one, Greater Still, was the best recording I felt they had ever done and therefore, I had extremely high hopes for this one. But quite honestly, the recording lacks the luster I think it could have had. Don't get me wrong, it really is a great recording, but in my opinion, it just didn't live up to the hype maybe, that I had generated in my mind. With a long 4-minute acapella arrangement of hymns called “The Foundation Medley” starting things off, it takes a few minutes for the recording to really get off the ground for me. I just don't think it was smart to start the recording off the way they did. The group really shines though when they do get off the ground with the uptempo, “Why not Make it Now.” David, what are your thoughts? David Bruce Murray (DBM): I actually thought the slow a cappella number was a good way to set the stage for the rest of the recording. It was a bit unusual that two rounds of group intros were included, though. The first time, Free quickly introduces each musician and singer. Three songs later, Free goes back and gives an extended intro for each performer along with some humorous comments. It's pretty entertaining until Bill Shivers introduces Free and trots out the tired old joke about them having a man who sings like a full grown woman. It went over well with the crowd in New York, though. I guess they'd never heard it before. Musically speaking, this is a great CD that effectively captures the live element of the audience. The up-tempo numbers involved the audience and the tunes with the choir are especially nice. JH: I noticed the double intro as well and I also thought it was kind of odd. I will agree with you though that the crowd really seems to be “into” the group, as it was a very exciting crowd, which is something you desperately need to have a successful live recording. Now there are several bright spots on this recording for me. The songs, “Goodness and Mercy” and “Only By the Blood” are both very good songs, though they both run very similar, musically. “We'll Say Goodbye” is a very cool uptempo tune that I enjoy very much. I also love the re-make of Brian's former #1 song, “For God So Loved” with the Christ Tabernacle Choir and I have to say, that despite my utter distaste for “Long as I Got King Jesus,” I very much enjoy the group's rendition of the song, which also features the group with the Christ Tabernacle Choir. The group really kicks on “Long as I Got King Jesus”… got to give them kudos on that. As I said, despite my original feelings towards the song, I am quite impressed with their arrangement of this James Cleveland classic. DBM: Well, you know what they say . . . there's no accounting for taste! Seriously, though, it's easy to see why “Long As I Got King Jesus” is a favorite for fans. Not many Southern Gospel quartets would be able to switch into a black gospel choral mode so comfortably as Brian Free and Assurance. I agree regarding “For God So Loved.” That's a tune that has been in the Assurance notebook for several years now, but adding the choir gives it a fresh twist. JH: Another song that at least bears mentioning, as a departure from the average is the song, “Knock No More” written by Patti Hawkins. As far as the group sound, they sound great and are very polished. Brian Free and the gang have always boasted a polished, classy sound. So, I can't find any flaws in the vocal quality of the group or in the music tracks; the tracks are great. I guess the one thing that detracts things for me is that with the tracks done in the studio beforehand, the spontaneity of a “LIVE” recording tends to get lost with me. I felt the exact same way with the Perrys recording, Absolutely, Positively Live from back a few years ago. With a lot of things being done in the studio beforehand like this, it loses a lot of what makes a great live recording, great for me. I have always been a big fan of live recordings, which is why I was really looking forward to this one. But it just lacks that special “something” in it for me. The crowd was definitely into what the group was doing, but it's just missing something. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think I would love this album more if it were just a studio album. But, I suppose weighing in on everything and considering all things; I would have to give this recording 4 stars. DBM: I'm going to go half a notch higher with 4 ½ stars. I believe this recording has just about everything you'd expect from a good live CD . . . great crowd participation, a nice level of interaction between the artist and the crowd, and a fairly energetic performance overall. They also have a Top 5 hit from this project, which is not common for a live recording. This CD should please current fans while attracting some who weren't previously fans. by David Bruce Murray and James Hales Labels: CD Review March 25, 2005Dwight Brock Biography Dwight Moody Brock(1907-1988) Dwight Brock established the standard for the traditional male quartet lineup . . . four singers plus a piano player. He is credited with being one of the first to incorporated piano “turnarounds” between verses. Brock was a member of the first gospel quartet to record on a major record label . . . the Stamps All-Star Quartet which recorded on RCA Victor. Brock played rhythm piano with various Stamps quartets in the 1920s and 1930s, and ultimately became the President of the Stamps-Baxter Music Company. He also was there when the Stamps first recorded “Give The World A Smile,” a song J. D. Sumner would revive years later when he began to manage the Stamps Quartet. Brock also performed with the Vaughan Radio Quartet. His sister Lena became the matriarch of the legendary Speer family. Brock was inducted into the Southern Gospel Piano Roll of Honor in 1996, and into the SGMA Hall Of Fame in 2003. See also: Stamps Quartet Biography March 7, 2005Mosie Lister Biography Thomas Mosie Lister(September 8, 1921 - ) In 1939, Mosie Lister studied music at the Vaughan School Of Music in Tennessee. He began his musical career as a singer, performing as an original member of the Sunny South Quartet before World War II. After a four year stint with the Navy, he worked a few months again with the Sunny South Quartet before leaving to form the Melody Masters with Jim Wetherington, Alvin Tootle, Lee Kitchens, and Wally Varner in 1946. Lister remained in Atlanta when the Melody Masters moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1948, Lister was tapped by Hovie Lister to be the original baritone for the Statesmen. (Despite their common last name, similar first names and involvement with the Statesmen, Mosie is no relation to Hovie). Lister soon gave up his professional singing career to devote his attention to writing, continuing to work as an arranger for the Statesmen. In 1953, he formed the Mosie Lister Publishing Company. Some of Lister’s better known tunes include “Then I Met The Master,” “I’m Feelin’ Fine,” “His Hand In Mine,” and “’Til The Storm Passes By.” Lister was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall Of Fame in 1976 and into the SGMA Hall Of Fame in 1997. Over the years, Lister also became a popular arranger of choral music for Lillenas Publishing. He has continued to write songs for popular Southern Gospel groups in the early 21st century. The Dove Brothers, Booth Brothers, and Palmetto State Quartet are just a few of the modern groups to recorded songs written by Lister. The Dove Brothers released a project titled A Tribute To Mosie Lister in 2004, which Lister also produced. Labels: biography March 5, 2005Dottie Rambo Biography Dottie Luttrell Rambo(1934 - ) Dottie Rambo got her start in Southern Gospel by writing songs and performing at revivals. She was eight years old when she first became interested in writing songs. By the age of 12, she had left home to sing full time. Governor Jimmie Davis of Louisiana heard her music and signed her to a writing contract when she was still in her teens. She married Buck Rambo when she was 16, and their daughter Reba was born when Dottie was 18. Reba began performing with the group when she was three years old. As she grew older, the Rambos grew to be one of the most popular family trios in gospel music. In addition to performing, Rambo continued to write. An extremely prolific songwriter, she has written more than 2500 songs. Her tunes have been recorded by dozens of secular artists and hundreds of gospel artists. Whitney Houston’s version of “I Go To The Rock” was included on the movie soundtrack for The Preacher’s Wife, which sold over two million units. Driven by Houston’s performance, the song also won a Dove Award in 1999. Other popular songs by Rambo include “Tears Will Never Stain The Streets Of That City,” “He Looked Beyond My Faults” (to the tune of "Londonderry Aire” aka “Danny Boy”), “Too Much To Gain To Lose,” “If That Isn't Love,” and “We Shall Behold Him.” Like her songs, Rambo’s awards are also numerous. She got her first Grammy in 1968 for a solo project called It’s The Soul Of Me. In 1994, she was named “Songwriter Of The Century” by the Christian Country Music Association. In 2001, ASCAP recognized Rambo with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Rambo is also a dual member of the GMA Hall Of Fame, having been inducted both as an individual and as part of the Rambo Trio. As the years have passed by, Dottie Rambo has endured more than her share of pain and heartache. She suffers with chronic back trouble and has undergone 10 surgeries. At various times, her health problems have left her in comas. On the home front, Rambo’s marriage ultimately failed and the subsequent divorce from Buck Rambo was particularly painful. She has experienced a comeback of sorts in later years, though. Barbara Mandrell hosted a televised Tribute To Dottie Rambo in 2002. Then in 2003, Rambo released her first project in 18 years, Stand By The River, which included a duet with Dolly Parton on the title song. Labels: biography Ed O'Neal Biography Ed O’Neal (1936 - ) Bass singer, Ed O'Neal was born in Raleigh, North Carolina where he grew up singing with his brothers. He joined the Serenaders in 1958 and moved to the Gospel Harmony Quartet in 1960. A year later, he joined the Dixie Melody Boys, where he has remained for over 40 years. O’Neal took the group in a country direction for a couple of years in the mid-1980s, rebilling them as the DMB Band. He soon returned them to a traditional male quartet format and brought back their original name. As owner and manager of the Dixie Melody Boys, O’Neal has developed a reputation for molding young singers. McCray Dove, Harold Reid, Devin McGlamery, Derrick Selph and others got their formal training singing under O’Neal. The Dixie Melody Boys are best known for their renditions of “Antioch Church Choir” and an O’Neal composition called “When I Cross To The Other Side Of Jordan.” O’Neal became a member of the SGMA Hall Of Fame in 2004. Labels: biography March 1, 2005Crabbfest Live 2004 Review Featured Review: Various Artists - Crabbfest Live 2004Rating: 4 STARS Label: Daywind Records Crabbfest 2005 Info: www.thecrabbfamily.com Producers: Ed Leonard, Norman Holland, and Kathy Crabb Participating Artists: Crabb Family, Mike Bowling, Hoskins Family, Gerald Crabb, McCraes, Karen Harding, Hope, Mercy's Mark, LordSong, and the Freemans Songs: "Greater Is He," "Promised Land," "Heat Of The Battle," "Places To Go, People To See," "Lamb, Lion, and King," "If It Had Not Been The Lord," "Holdin' On To Faith," "Movin' On," "Sacrifice Of Praise," "His Response," "Lord Of The Dance," "He Came Looking For Me," "Sea Walker," "Forever," "Call Me Gone," and "The Reason That I'm Standing" Crabbfest Live 2004 is essentially a showcase project for the Daywind family of recording artists with their number one artist front and center. This review is based on the CD version. DVD and VHS versions are also available. As the title implies, the Crabb Family is the host group for this event, performing seven of the 16 tracks on the CD. Gerald Crabb also sings on two of those songs. Mike Bowling is featured on three tunes with some help from his daughter, Hope on one. Bowling's wife Kelly and Jason Crabb join him for a shortened version of "Call Me Gone." The other artists each sing one song. I enjoyed Chris Freeman's freestyle vocal introduction to "Sea Walker." Mercy's Mark also has a good turn with "His Response." LordSong's intricate a cappella rendition of "Lord Of The Dance" is outstanding. They do a great job with that song in a live setting. The diversity of musical styles is pretty broad which makes for a few unusual transitions on this collection. For example, the McCraes' decidely country tune "If It Had Not Been The Lord" is followed by the R&B influenced gospel diva stylings of Karen Harding's "Holding On To Faith." It's like switching from Reba McEntire to Whitney Houston. That just comes with the territory when you have various artists and no particular creative concept to connect the songs. (For a contrasting example of a live various artists project from Daywind that has a great conceptual theme, see: Remembering The Greats). The Crabb Family's "He Came Looking For Me" is the highlight of Crabbfest Live 2004, because it's the one cut on this CD that displays any significant interaction between the performers and the audience. For a minute or two, they have some church. A live CD ought to show that the audience was acknowledged from the stage more frequently. (In fact, just wait . . . the Crabbs are releasing Live At Brooklyn Tabernacle in April. It feature a lot of great live elements. I believe Crabb Family fans will ultimately look back and rank it a couple of notches higher than Crabbfest Live 2004. You heard it here first.) That aside, Crabbfest Live 2004 gives you a good idea of what to expect at the annual event in Kentucky . . . several great artists with a broad background of musical styles. I admire the Crabbs for putting together a program that attracts a nice range of gospel music fan types. Although this CD doesn't always have the best flow in terms of musical pacing, it demonstrates how our common belief in the lyrics of these songs should unify us regardless of style. The Crabbs will do it all again this coming July 6-9, 2005, with the artist roster more diverse than ever before. Michael English, the Jody Brown Indian Family, the Dove Brothers, the Gospel Enforcers, and Avalon are just a few of the groups currently scheduled to appear. While you wait for the Live At Brooklyn Tabernacle release in April and the Crabbfest 2005 event in July, give Crabbfest Live 2004 a listen and see if you agree with my rating. Labels: CD Review 
| |||
Who's Blogging?
Contributors
Blog Search
Talk Back
Useful Links
Discuss SG
Quicklinks
Advice, Audio, Audio, Audiobooks, biography, CCM, CD Reviews, Concert Reviews, Discographies, Dove Awards, DVD Reviews, Fan Awards, History, Housekeeping, Humor, In The News, Interviews, Limericks, Group Members, Movies, NQC, Obituary, Observations, Odds And Ends, Old Clips, Other Blogs, Other Forums, Podcasts, Praise And Worship, Sad But True, Shopping Tales, Singing News, Song Clips, TV Shows, XM News, YouTube,
Archives
- September 2004
- October 2004
- November 2004
- December 2004
- January 2005
- February 2005
- March 2005
- April 2005
- May 2005
- June 2005
- July 2005
- August 2005
- September 2005
- October 2005
- November 2005
- December 2005
- January 2006
- February 2006
- March 2006
- April 2006
- May 2006
- June 2006
- July 2006
- August 2006
- September 2006
- October 2006
- November 2006
- December 2006
- January 2007
- February 2007
- March 2007
- April 2007
- May 2007
- June 2007
- July 2007
- August 2007
Copyright
- All textual content posted at Musicscribe.com and subfolders is owned and copyrighted by David Bruce Murray unless otherwise indicated. No reprints may be made without the permission of the author, except as provided by US Copyright law. Permission is granted to reprint articles on other non-commercial websites only as long as the following conditions are met:
1) All articles must be reprinted in full with no editing or additions
2) The words "by David Bruce Murray" must be displayed prominently with each reprinted article.
3) A link to the original article at Musicscribe.com must accompany all reprints. If your site meets these requirements, you may reprint articles without requesting additional permission from the author.The copyright of all content posted by Musicscribe.com contributors other than David Bruce Murray is retained by the original authors.