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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.
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Most Recent Articles
Why blog? (Three years and counting)
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-----------May 27, 2006Roy Pauley vs. The WorldSinging News introduced a new column in their June issue that has the potential to attract readers. It's a column that promises to contradict Roy Pauley each month. Writers will be rotated.
The first entry fell flat, though. Pauley starts off saying his opinion in the June issue isn't shared by the magazine publisher, and bellyaches that this is "always the case." Then he launches into an attack where virtually all the industry agrees improvement needs to be made: SG radio. Pauley's column boils down to an argument that DJs should always be on the lookout for quality, seeking it out if it doesn't come to them, and not automatically play groups when they're on a major label if the quality is lacking. Where's the controversy in that? The contrasting opinion comes from Ed Leonard, president of Daywind. The height of his difference in opinion comes when he says "major labels believe that independent artists and labels hold too much sway at radio." That's only natural for the head of a major label. Leonard goes on to agree that if the quality is there, then regardless of the source, the music should be played...precisely what Pauley said. Again I ask, where's the beef? I think the bulk of the controversy is really a misunderstanding. Leonard assumed Pauley was saying independents currently aren't being played, which isn't the case. Pauley said artists with quality aren't being played. Pointing to the charts to prove independents get played is ignoring the point. What both of them stopped short of saying is that most Southern Gospel DJs aren't adequately trained enough to recognize quality when they hear it. Pauley and Leonard both appear to assume that everyone in the radio industry knows the difference between good quality and bad. In my opinion, the majority of Southern Gospel DJs wouldn't recognize good quality if it slapped them over the head. Once in a while, they do play a good song, but you all know the modern proverb about blind squirrels. Of course, there will be differences in style, diction standards, and personal preferences when it comes to music. However, a line should be drawn when it comes to singing out of tune, unoriginal lyrics, with an accompaniment that sounds like it was recorded with 1950s technology. Sadly, I hear that sort of music just about every time I listen to a Southern Gospel station. It's too bad that neither Pauley nor Leonard pointed that out. Southern Gospel, for all it's advances in production quality and artist development over the past fifteen years, will always be at a disadvantage compared to other genres until there comes a day when we can get clueless DJs from behind the wheel of the bus. Fortunately, there are some stations out there that are doing a great job, but there's still a lot to be desired in Southern Gospel radio. May 26, 2006GMA Competition Comes To CrabbfestFor years, the Gospel Music Association has sponsored a national talent competition with the initial rounds being held in specific regions. This year, GMA will hold a Southern Gospel specific event July 7-8 at Crabbfest. Three winners will advance to the national competion to be held in Estes Park, Colorado in October. Performers will compete on July 7 and songwriters will compete the following day. The field is limited to the first 75 entrants and the deadline for entry is June 26.
Click HERE for more information. May 25, 2006CD Review: Crystal River (Taking A Stand) RATING: 4 Stars Label: BSA World Records Producer: Glen Bates Website: www.crystalriveronline.net Song Titles: "In The Heat Of The Flames," "I'm Here Because Jesus Went There," "If There Had Never Been A Cross," "It's A Breeze," "When The Hammer Struck The Nails," "There's A Difference In The Difference," "Before The Teardrops Hit The Ground," "Mercy River," "He'll Come Walking On Your Water," "Star Of Heaven," and "Higher Ground" Crystal River put all their eggs in one basket with Taking A Stand and it seems to be working well for them. Since the mid-1990s, the Beckie Simmons Agency has provided booking services for many of the top names in Southern Gospel music, but this is BSA's first effort as a record label. It all began last year when the members of Crystal River met Simmons and her husband, Glen Bates. Ultimately, BSA became Crystal River's agent, fifty songs written by Bates were narrowed down to ten, Bates produced Taking A Stand, a live version of the hymn "Higher Ground" was added as a closing song, and BSA had its first recording artist. Taking A Stand opens with a happy song in a minor key titled "In The Heat Of The Flames." I've always enjoyed upbeat minor key songs. The group's first single from Taking A Stand is up next...a mid-tempo 6/8 gospel feel called "I'm Here Because Jesus Went There." The mood relaxes for "If There Had Never Been A Cross." There's a change in vocal quality when the melody drops to the B-flat and the C down in baritone territory. Keeping the melody up in those spots would have improved this otherwise excellent track. Up next is a rush of wind, thunder, and the intro to "It's A Breeze." Tenor singer Dusty Barrett's vocals stands out at the end of each chorus. Jeremy Lile's solo verse on "When The Hammer Struck The Nails" sounds deeper than he actually sings; his bottom note on the solo is a low C, but the attraction is his full, rich tone quality. "There's A Difference In The Difference" is a light hearted, traditional Southern Gospel song. "Before The Teardrops Hit The Ground" is a good lyrics, but the arrangement sounds way too much like "When The Hammer Struck The Nails"...same instrumentation, similar arrangement, and virtually the same melody. Nature sounds introduce "Mercy River" and continue in the background. This track is the best showcase on the CD for Lile. "He'll Come Walking On Your Water" is a stereotypical sounding island song. As with "It's A Breeze" and "Mercy River," "Star Of Heaven" opens with subtle sound effects...fireworks in this case. Songs that combine the Gospel message with an USA patriotic theme have been written before, but I really like the line in this one that goes, "The Star of heaven bore the stripes for me." The CD closes on a totally different note with an a cappella plus percussion live track of the hymn, "Higher Ground"...a nice change of pace I wasn't expecting. Are those percussion sounds produced by a human beatbox? Taking A Stand takes creativity by the horns in spots ("Mercy River," "I'm Here Because Jesus Went There," and "In The Heat Of The Flames"), and plays it totally safe in others ("He'll Come Walking On Your Water" and "There's A Difference In The Difference"). The influential hand of Bates both as a writer and producer gives a consistent flavor to the recording that should help it stand out from other CDs on the market. Taking A Stand confirms what I felt when I first heard the group sing "The First Time" and "What He's Done For Me" on a showcase at the 2005 National Quartet Convention...Crystal River is an exciting young quartet, and I believe that with the right breaks (which seem to be happening for them at the moment), they could have a bright future in Christian music. Labels: CD Review CD Review: Crabb Family (Blur The Lines) BUY THIS CD! RATING: 4 1/2 Stars Label: Clear Cool Music Producers: Bubba Smith and the Crabb Familiy Website: www.thecrabbfamily.com Song Titles: "Friend Of God," "Redeemer," "One Day," "Holding Out Hope To You," "I Go To The Rock," "Shout To The Lord," "Nothing But The Blood," "Call On Jesus," "Champion Of Love," "Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus," "I Can't Live A Day," "I'd Rather Have Jesus," and "Amigo De Dios (Friend Of God)" With Blur The Lines, the Crabb Family chose their favorite songs from different musical styles. You'll hear Praise and Worship songs, Hymns, Southern Gospel classics, Black Gospel classics, and songs that were chart topping hits for CCM artists in recent years. Is it possible to take music from diverse styles and create a collection that doesn't jump randomly from one style to the next? Let's find out. "Friend Of God" kicks off the project with a busy, driving rhythm featuring Adam Crabb on the lead vocal. The vocals finish up with the song about four minutes in, but the music carries on for another minute and a half. There's a cool production effect on the sustained chord at the end. Someone found the resonance control. Next up is "Redeemer," a song that has been recorded originally (and written) by Nicole C. Mullen and covered more recently by Ivan Parker. It's much more relaxed than "Friend Of God," allowing Jason Crabb to do his thing. "One Day" is a soulful interpretation of a classic hymn featuring Kelly Bowling. The melody is completely different, but the words are the same. The instrumentation is drums and bass with an occasional interjection from a B-3 organ, guitar, or harmonica. It kicks into double time before all is said and done. Next it's back to a ballad as Aaron Crabb covers the Michael English song "Holding Out Hope To You." Terah Penhollow sings a mid-tempo, soulful version of Dottie Rambo's "I Go To The Rock," followed by a slow version of "Shout To The Lord" featuring Jason. By now, we can see that while the sources for the songs are diverse on Blur The Lines, the instrumentation and vocal stylings tie it all together. There's also a pattern of alternating the more energetic tracks with slower arrangements. A back porch intro with guitar in the left channel of the stereo mix and soft vocals singing along in the right gives way to a modern, peppy arrangement of "Nothing But The Blood" featuring Aaron. Then it's time for another ballad. Kelly and Terah share vocal duties for a cover of another Nicole C. Mullen song, "Call On Jesus." Featuring Adam, "Champion Of Love" breaks the alternating pattern by following "Call On Jesus" with another slow anthem. Jason cuts loose on a no holds barred, Andrae Crouch classic next called "Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus." The CD closes with "I Can't Live A Day" (featuring Terah, Kelly, and Aaron), "I'd Rather Have Jesus" (featuring Jason), and a Spanish version of "Friend Of God" which opened the CD. With Blur The Lines, the Crabb Family has successfully taken a group of songs and blurred the stylistic lines enough to make them work together in a musical sense. In most cases, the songs resemble their original context enough that people will make the connection. ("One Day" got blurred the most.) At the same time, listeners familiar with the original versions will immediately realize it's a different artist putting their own stamp on the songs. If hearing Crabbified versions of classic songs from various genres appeals to you, you'll want to check out Blur The Lines. On the other hand, if you are disappointed to hear the Crabbs have moved on from the musical vein of their early hits like "Please Forgive Me," there's a strong chance you'll feel the lines have been blurred too much. My personal opinion is that this album was the next logical step after Driven. The live CD recorded last year at Brooklyn Tabernacle hinted at this project as well. Labels: CD Review May 23, 2006Gerald Crabb To WedGerald Crabb's booking agent just sent out a wedding announcement for Crabb and Debi Jackson of Ripley, MS. The couple will be wed at a private ceremony on May 25th in Savannah, TN. They will make their home in Jackson's home town of Ripley, MS.
May 22, 2006CD Review: Mercy's Well (Hymns) RATING: 5 Stars Producer: Donna Beauvais Website: www.mercyswell.com Song Titles: "'Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus," "Nothing But The Blood (Still Saves The Lost)," "Jesus Saves," "Haven Of Rest" (with "How Beautiful Heaven Must Be"), "Holy Manna," "It Is Well With My Soul," "A New Name In Glory/Just Over In The Gloryland," "The Love Of God," "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder," and "Jesus Is All The World To Me" (with "There's Just Something About That Name") Reviewing CDs is so much easier when it's obvious that attention has been given to getting every detail just right. Hymns, the new CD by Mercy's Well, includes excellent vocals, arrangements, and production quality. Even the packaging quality is top notch...a pleasant surprise for a project that doesn't appear to have any major label backing. Mercy's Well is a trio based out of Greensboro, NC comprised of Brad Strider, Greg Gainer, and Kyle Hake. Hymns adds a piano to the mix. That's it. Three voices and a piano. There's a free flow to the arrangements. Chords don't always go where you'd expect, and you're not locked into a strict tempo from start to finish. After the CD opens with "'Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus," an original song by Chris Binion titled "Nothing But The Blood (Still Saves The Lost)" sets the tone for the rest of the recording. The lyric blends phrases from a dozen hymns or so. If you listen closely to the other songs, you'll also notice the occasional phrase being borrowed. In "Jesus Saves," there's an acknowledgement of "Victory In Jesus," for example. These little details give the arrangements a feeling of spontaneity. I tend to gravitate to more rhythmic arrangements, so my favorite cuts are the opening number, "A New Name In Glory/Just Over In The Gloryland," and "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder." The latter is a particularly enjoyable romp with an accompaniment that blends the styles of Harry Connick, Jr., Stan Whitmire, and Henry Butler. Rather than regurgitating familiar songs with little thought, Mercy's Well and producer Donna Beauvais went the extra mile to deliver something unique and worth hearing over and over. Credit should also go to Jason Webb and David Huntsinger for their work at the piano. Hymns is everything a collection of timeless classics should be. Labels: CD Review AUDIO/PODCAST INTERVIEW>> Daniel Britt Interviews LuAnn Burger & Lori (part II)Here's the interview with Lori where we talk mainly about her solo music ministry. However, as you can imagine, Anthony Burger had such an impact in the life of his daughter that we talked a lot more about his legacy and foresight. AUDIO>> Daniel Britt Interviews Lori (38:25) LINK>> Lori's website -Daniel Britt Labels: audio, Interviews, podcast May 20, 2006SGHistory.com LaunchedAt the prompting of Daniel Mount, I have finally launched SGHistory.com. I'm in the process of compiling all the discographies, member lists and biographies that I've posted at Musicscribe over the past year and a half. Daniel Mount has also contributed a number of entries and assisted me with getting the data moved over to the new site.
I have set the site up so you have the option of viewing it as a blog with the most recent articles first, or you can browse by topic. A search tool is also provided. If you have any interest in contributing to this growing project, drop me an email. May 19, 2006CD Review SubmissionsWant to submit a CD for me to review? Here's all the info you need to know... 1. Submitted CDs and/or DVDs should be as near to "retail ready" as possible. If you really want to get on my good side, leave off the shrink wrap and those horrendous hard-to-remove bar code stickers at the top. I will review a pre-release if the retail version of the product isn't yet packaged, but only if the final artwork and final song sequence are included. 2. Submission of your product does not guarantee a review. If I do review your product, it may be posted at Musicscribe.com, www.southerngospelreporter.com, or possibly in the Singing News. UPDATED 7/10/07: I WILL publish a rating for EVERY submitted CD, as long as requirement #1 is met. 3. Product will not be returned to you, regardless of whether it was reviewed. (I'm tough on coasters, so I need a constant supply.) 4. Reviews are written from a fan perspective with the interests of the prospective purchaser in mind. 5. You are welcome to use quotes from reviews for publicity purposes as long as you credit me as the author and don't distort the context of the quote. 6. Submit product to: 1586 DePriest Rd., Bostic, NC 28018 Labels: CD Review Daywind Ad Now Plays BishopI don't know how many of you have clicked on the Daywind banner ad here at Musicscribe. I just wanted to point out that Daywind has recently updated the clips. At the moment, it's playing clips from the new CD by Kenny Bishop.
Check it out, and then read my review. Or better yet, go to the review first, THEN click on the ad so you can listen as you read. May 18, 2006AUDIO/PODCAST INTERVIEW>> Daniel Britt Interviews LuAnn Burger & Lori (part I) Today was a special treat! Anthony Burger's widow, LuAnn and daughter, Lori stopped by the radio station to talk about Anthony's legacy and Lori's new career in music.These two have been through so much, especially lately with the passing of Anthony. They were here for two hours and we recorded well over an hour of discussion. The interview is divided into two main parts: - the interview with LuAnn about Anthony's passing (see below) - the interview with Lori mainly about her solo music ministry (still to come) AUDIO>> Daniel Britt Interviews LuAnn Burger (26:40) Again, keep watching for the interview with Lori, coming soon. -Daniel Britt Labels: audio, Interviews, podcast May 14, 2006CD Alert: Imperials (The Lost Album) BUY THIS CD! (Eventually)
Imperials fans have been waiting for this release for 30 years. Titled The Lost Album, this CD is actually the first studio project made by the group after Russ Taff joined them. Other group members include Jim Murray, David Will, and Armond Morales. I don't know the backstory behind why it was never released, so I hope some diehard Imperials fans will fill me in on the details. You can buy this title on or after Song titles include: 1. Sunshiny Day 2. New Creation 3. Earth, Our Island Home 4. Soon And Very Soon 5. We Are The Band, He is the Music 6. The World Didn't Give it to Me 7. In The Same Ols Fashioned Way 8. Closer To Jesus 9. Lord, I Love The Way You Love 10. Bonus: Sunshiny Day (Live) CD Alerts: Live and LiveA live performance by David Phelps recorded on March 30, 2006 in Birmingham, Alabama will be packaged and sold this fall. CD and DVD versions are set for release on
BUY THIS CD! Song titles include: 1. Virtuoso 2. Arms Open Wide 3. How Great Thou Art 4. Already There 5. God Will Take Care Of You 6. Just As I Am 7. My Child Is Coming Home 8. With His Love (Sing Holy) 9. Legacy Of Love 10. Bring Him Home 11. The Star-Spangled Banner 12. There Is A River 13. Gentle Savior 14. Behold The Lamb 15. End Of The Beginning Also set for release on August 29 is a live project of new material by Legacy Five. The project will be recorded in a couple of week's during Legacy Five's annual "Celebration" event. BUY THIS CD! Assuming all goes as planned, song titles for Legacy Five's release will include: 1. Stay Close to Me 2. Strike Up the Band 3. My, My, My 4. Truth is Marching On 5. I've Been Changed 6. Don't Go Swimming 7. Temporary Tomb 8. The Right Side of the Dirt 9. Peace (When I leave it in Your Hands) 10. But God 11. Jesus Will Never Change May 11, 20062006 Singing News Fan Awards Update
Singing News announced the Round Two results for the Fan Awards yesterday. I fared fairly well both in my voting and my predictions on which nominees would advance. Let's talk voting first. My Round Two votes that failed to advance are:
Female Singer: Lauren Talley Album: It's So God (Brian Free and Assurance) Tenor: John Rulapaugh Songwriter: Kyla Rowland Traditional Quartet: Dove Brothers Artist Website: Kingdom Heirs So six of my votes failed to advance (not counting DJ categories, which I vote on at random), compared to the nine that failed to advance in the first round. No huge surprises here, but I really wish It's So God and the Dove Brothers had survived. By the way, I WAS surprised to note that some of the previous big winners were nearly annihilated. In the first round, the Perrys, Triumphant, Greater Vision, Inspirations, Signature Sound, the Kingdom Heirs, and Brian Free/Assurance were nominated in nearly every possible category. The Crabb Family, McKameys, and Hoppers were also in several. Brian Free/Assurance, the Kingdom Heirs, the Perrys, and The Crabb Family dropped 50% or more of their initial nominations with Brian Free/Assurance taking the heaviest hit. They're now down to two categories after being nominated in nine. OUCH! The other big winners from the first round did very well in the second round. Greater Vision advanced in nine out of nine categories, which is pretty phenomenal when you consider there's only three members in the group. All five members of Signature Sound advanced, as did four Inspirations and four Triumphant members. All three groups have nominations in the Album and Song categories as well. I think the Hoppers also advanced in every category where they were previously nominated. (I can't recall if they were previously nominated in the Album category. If not, they are 7/7. If so, they are 7/8.) Now in closing, I get to gloat a bit about my accuracy predicting the results of the three group categories, namely Traditional Quartet, Mixed Quartet, and Trio. I correctly predicted thirteen out of a possible fifteen (roughly 87%). Dove Bros Want Your Songs05/11/06 DOVE BROS WANT YOUR SONGS The guys are presently listening to song demos,.. If you have tunes you think the Dove Brothers might want to record,.. send them to the DBQ office. read more on this story here: http://www.sglive365.com/news2051106dovebros.html
May 10, 2006AUDIO>> Signature Sound featured on Focus on the Family RadioAUDIO>> Dr. James Dobson's comments about Signature Sound
Today on Focus on the Family with James Dobson, the topic du jour was the recent National Day of Prayer events in Washington. The Signature Sound Quartet was on hand to sing for one of the events. Because I'm not risky enough to provide audio of their entire copy-written song, I've cut that out of the excerpt. You'll mainly hear the comments before and after the song was featured on Focus on the Family. The two voices you'll hear are Dr. James Dobson and Dr. Bill Maier. I love it when Southern Gospel gets national attention like this (both in Washington and on Focus!) UPDATE: Ernie Haase called me today to thank me for editing the clip down for them. It's also available at their website. Ernie said that after the group sang the song, that Dr. Dobson's daughter came to him and said her dad never cries, but he was sooo moved by the group's passion and harmony! Keep it up, guys! -Daniel Britt May 9, 2006All Music Bios Aren't All RightDon't believe everything you read at the All Music website. (All Music is a source many websites use for biographical information on artists from all genres.)
I ran across a bio for "The King's Men" just now that is replete with inaccuracies. I thought I'd post it here. Maybe it will put things in perspective for those of you who get mad over the mistakes you'll inevitably find in some of the bios I write. Hey...just be glad I do a LOT more research than this guy! So far, the complaints I've received have been over relatively minor issues. Most are polite, but three or four have been real jerks about it. I can only imagine what they'd say to this guy. (BTW, I appreciate all corrections to what I've written, so please keep them coming.) Here's the biography as it appears at All Music: Not much is known about the early days of the King's Men quintet, an old-time Southern gospel act who are not to be confused with the Portland, OR-based garage band the Kingsmen (the band whose enduring "Louie, Louie" survives today as one of the all-time frat rock classics). The King's Men were founded as a quartet by Big Jim Hamill in 1955 and based in Ashland, NC. Two other members, Theodore J. Twiggs and Eugene R. Smith, were listed as songwriters on what turned out to be their only record of the day, "Don't Say You're Sorry," released in March 1957 to little fanfare. Shortly after this single, two of the five members were drafted into the Armed Services. A few years later, the King's Men were together again and back in action and managed a career that eventually spanned three decades ('50s, '60s, and '70s). Recordings continued to flow, mostly gospel favorites, but the King's Men's real strength seemed to lie in their performances; they are best remembered for booming tenors and resounding baritones propelling a genuine gospel prowess. The group continued into the '70s, with new members replacing retiring King's Men along the way. — Bryan Thomas, All Music Guide ARTICLE SOURCE: All Music May 8, 2006100,000 Hear Crabb Family05/08/06 100,000 HEAR CRABB FAMILY AT FRIENDSHIP FEST Initial reports indicate that more than 200,000 people gathered in Marrakech, Morocco for Friendship Fest 2006. On Saturday night a crowd of over 100,000 heard The Crabb Family. read more on this story here: http://www.sglive365.com/news2050806crabb.html
May 6, 2006More on SETBy the way, here's one good reason to get behind this channel and try to get it added to your local cable service. Under "About Us" on their site, they say...
The SET prides itself on delivering programming with: No Preaching No Teaching No solicitations for money Also, my previous post may have left the impression that the genres would be mixed. There's actually three seperate channels. Southern Gospel (SET), Bluegrass (SET2), and Classic Black Gospel (SET3). Here's more info from their website: The SET offers Southern Gospel music performances 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! You'll see old favorites and today's stars, local folks and Gospel greats. On average, 18-21 different groups will appear every hour, providing non-stop, non-repetitive entertainment around the clock. The first ever all Bluegrass music channel, The SET2 features top musicians as well as backyard pickers and singers - all performing with passion and grit. The SET2 brings the extreme harmonies and extreme beauty of Bluegrass to television, full time and commercial free! The SET 3 captures all the passion and joy of Black Gospel music, bringing you fire and excitement that "without warning fills a church and causes it to rock!" Every day, all day, you'll hear great Gospel performers - all your favorite songs, all day long! SET Prepares LaunchAfter two years getting geared up, Southern Entertainment Television is about to launch on satelite, and they are seeking videos. The wording of their request for material gives me the impression they may be more interested in quantity than quality. Hopefully, that's not the case. You can read it for yourself and draw your own conclusions.
The SET wants to provide Southern Gospel, Bluegrass, and Classic Black Gospel musicians great opportunities for promotion. It doesn't matter whether you're a well known group or not, we want to put your music on television to be seen all over the country. If you have video of your music or performances that you would like to have carried on one of our channels, please contact us at: (941) 485-5500. Note: Please do not send footage without first calling us directly. Read more HERE. You can actually see some streaming content on the site now, but the home page says it's about to launch. I assume this means the satelite feed. Another spot on the home page says it's already on satelite, so I'm not sure about the actual launch status. Anyway, I watched a bit of the stream, and it looked pretty good. They didn't identify the artist at the end of the song, which would be a major peeve if that's how it's done all the time. The stream on the site is not a live feed, by the way. If you stop it and start over, it goes back to the same song again. I cut it off after a couple of songs, because the video got out of sync with the audio. 50 Free Downloadsemusic.com is offering 50 music downloads for free to new subscribers. You have 14 days from the time you sign up to download the free tracks. I found a number of gospel artists on the service including Gold City, Anthony Burger, the Cathedrals, Brian Free and Assurance (including their latest CD titled It's So God which I have currently rated as my number one pick), the Perrys, and others.
I also downloaded a few Jerry Lee Lewis tracks. It took me about thirty minutes to select the 50 songs and download them over my DSL connection. I may go ahead and pay $10 for the first month so I can grab 40 more songs, which is a LOT cheaper than the typical rate of 88-99 cents per track you'd pay for an a la carte service like iTunes or Walmart's music download service. The trial signup page for the 50 free tracks can be found at www.emusic.com/freetrial90. Enjoy! PS. emusic.com files are in .mp3 format. You don't have to have a proprietary player to use this service. I assume I'll be able to burn them to CD, copy them to another computer, and play them anywhere I please. emusic.com advertises the files as having "no confusing restrictions or hidden fees." In my opinion, that's very smart on their part, and the inexpensive price makes it that much more attractive. Gospel labels would be very wise to get on board with this company. Page View TrendsPage views per day in the Musicscribe universe have dropped slightly since the March 2006 peak. Readers loaded an average of 1250 pages per day in April vs. 1471 in March. Still, with over 39000 page views, April is our second highest month on record.
If current trends continue for three or four days more days, I'll be able to say it's taken less than four and a half months to surpass the ten months of data I have saved from 2005. We're sitting at more than 139,000 year-to-date views at the moment with more than 7000 views month-to-date views as of midday, May 6. March-December of 2005 page views totaled just under 142,000. Chuck Peters, Daniel Britt, and I are committed to continuing to provide a stream of unique and informative content to add to the existing archive of useful information that is as close as the SEARCH box visible to your left. Also, I should mention the Music Review Vault which can be accessed HERE. The Vault contains more than 200 CD reviews that I've written over the past ten years. Thanks for reading! May 5, 2006O Brother, Thine Impact Doth Linger When O Brother, Where Art Thou? was released in 2000, I'm sure the director, actors, and producers had no idea how much it would capture the imagination of the movie going public. It doesn't seem like it's been six years to me, and it evidently doesn't seem that long ago to Provident-Integrity Distribution either.
Here's how they are promoting a new collection of bluegrass gospel songs: Coming on the heels of the successful blockbuster soundtrack, O' Brother Where Art Thou [sic on the apostrophe] (sold over 5million,units) [sic on the comma and spacing] this comprehensive collection has been specially compiled to give honor to some of the greatest Bluegrass Gospel songs ever recorded... OK...so six years isn't exactly "on the heels," but regardless, the new collection, titled Bluegrass: Top 20 Gospel Songs Of The Century, will be in stores on May 23. Read more about it HERE. Bill Gaither Releases Official StatementWell, if you’ll read the addendums/comments on my previous post , then you know that there was something that appeared to be a statement by Bill Gaither obtained by a message board member of the Singing News forum. However, since we’re dealing with the internet, there really was no sure way to know for sure, until now. The Singing News Magazine’s website has released an official statement from Bill Gaither that is identical to the statement posted yesterday. It’s exactly how I had hoped this whole thing would end. -Daniel Britt New Homecoming Tour Accompanist05/05/06 NEW HOMECOMING TOUR ACCOMPANIST A news item at www.gaither.com says that singer, songwriter and keyboard player Gordon Mote has been named to serve as accompanist for the Homecoming Tour. read more on this story here: http://www.sglive365.com/news2050506mote.html
Anthony Burger Is #105/05/06 ANTHONY BURGER IS #1 Billboard Magazine's website has The Best Of Anthony Burger From The Homecoming Series,.. at the top spot on it's "Top Music Video" chart. read more on this story here: http://www.sglive365.com/news2050506ab.html
May 4, 2006They Call This Southern Gospel?
You'd expect something billed as a "Traditional Southern Gospel Music Concerts & Family Event" to include some Southern Gospel groups, wouldn't you? I'd expect a male quartet or maybe some mixed family groups. Surprisingly enough, though, there's no Southern Gospel groups listed in connection with this event. In fact, only one group appears to be gospel at all.
What a weird approach to marketing a concert series. Is this some sort of reverse psychology to try to get church music lovers to come hear what appears to be mostly secular music? (I'm kidding.) North Charlestown, SC Cultural Arts Department director Marty Besancon touts the diversity of their upcoming festival in today's The Post And Courier. Performers include The Mighty Clouds Of Joy, a jazz singer named Ann Caldwell, and a night club band called Touch Of Class. Then there's a Cuban group, Bill Pinckney and the Drifters, a reggae group, a Celtic/Native American/Baltic group called Braidstream, a musical review called "Harlem Swing Club," and a saxophone player. OK, so maybe they meant "Southern" as in "groups from the South," but that doesn't explain why they called it a "gospel" event (aside from the Mighty Clouds Of Joy). Read the article HERE and then somebody PLEASE explain this to me! :o) Homecoming Tour Returns To CanadaThe London Free Press of London, Ontario, Canada had a write-up today on the Homecoming Tour which hits their town on Saturday, May 6. Among other topics covered in the article, Bill Gaither discusses how the Homecoming phenomenon began and life after Anthony Burger.
Read all about it HERE. While the size of the parlour has increased, Gaither says, "I'm basically doing what I did when our little church used to come out to my grandpa's house on Sunday night after the evening service. I was the designated keyboard player and 40 years later, I'm still gathering people around the piano and saying, 'Hey, why don't you sing this song with us? I think you'll like it.' " QUOTE SOURCE: Herman Goodden, Freelance Writer for The London Free Press Former SG Singer Releases Jazz CD Kimber Manning, formerly of the Southern Gospel quartet New Speer Revival, recently released her first mainstream jazz CD titled Eventually. The project includes a number of standards including "It Had To Be You," "Wonderful World," "Recipe For Love," "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," "Blue Skies," and "At Last."
Click HERE to view Manning's official website. Click HERE to listen to song samples and buy the CD. Click HERE for her MySpace page. I listened to a few of the clips and thought Manning had a great classic jazz quality. She sounds more comfortable singing this style than she did singing with New Speer Revival, in my opinion. IMAGE SOURCE: www.kimbermanning.com New Shape Note Songbook Shape note singers should be delighted to hear that former Chuck Wagon Gang pianist Harold Timmons has compiled a third volume of the Chuck Wagon Gang songbook Our Recorded Songs. The 160 songs in this collection include old classics like "Life's Railway To Heaven" and "Just A Little Talk With Jesus" as well as tunes recorded in recent years such as "Long Black Train" and "Homecoming Day." See the entire list of titles as well as ordering information HERE.
In addition to the songs, the book also contains historical photos of the group. Timmons said another songbook is also in the works with plans to release it in 2007. Grand Ole Opry Star Sings Gospel45-year Grand Ole Opry veteran, George Hamilton IV, is making a swing through several of North Carolina's Outer Banks towns including Currituck, Manteo, Stokes, and Williamston. Hamilton will be joined by the Captain's Crew, a Southern Gospel group based in the Outer Banks that records for Lamon Records. The artists will take the stage for seperate sets and then close out each performance on stage together singing old favorites like "I'll Fly Away." They have eight appearances lined up over a seven day period from Friday, May 5 through Thursday, May 11.
Read all about it HERE in the Outer Banks Sentinel. May 3, 2006Jordanaires On MBG Album05/03/06 JORDANAIRES TO APPEAR ON MIKE BOWLING GROUP ALBUM Mike Bowling says: “It was an honor to have the Jordanaires, true legends in all genres of music, to sing on the title cut of the project, 'Graceland'." read more on this story here: http://www.sglive365.com/news2050306mbg.html
May 2, 2006Typo Of The DayI read this line over at Psalm 101's website. It made me chuckle, and I hope you get a kick out of it as well. One little letter changed what they meant to say into something else.
"We are so excited to announce that Psalm 101 has been dominated again this year... By the way, Psalm 101 wants your help naming their new CD. If your title is chosen, you will receive an autographed copy. See their website for more details (about midway down the page in the center column). Bill & Gloria are brought up in gay discussion on radio talk showI listen to Steve Brown Etc., a weekly radio talk show. This past week, he talked to Mel White, a former "ghost-writer" for such evangelicals as Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell. He is also a homosexual activist.
During the course of the interview, Steve (who is a friend of Bill & Gloria Gaither) brings up a conversation he had with Gloria Gaither about how the church treats homosexuals. If you'll listen to the Steve Brown show (click here) and go 24:30 into the program, you'll hear Mel say that Gloria is wrong and unrealistic in what she said to Steve about the church showing love to gays. You really should listen to it to also hear Mel say that Bill & Gloria are surrounded by gay people every day [in Christian/church music.] (For what it's worth, I agree with Brown's position: it's a sin, but I'm not your mother and I'm not going to throw rocks from my glass house). -Daniel Britt NOTE / UPDATE >> I have posted some updates on this topic under the "comments" section on my site. CLICK HERE TO READ THE UPDATES. May 1, 2006Homecoming Tour Cuts Artists05/01/06 HOMECOMING TOUR CUTS ARTISTS A Gaither insider, who wishes to remain anonymous, told sgUpdate that several artists will not appear on every Homecoming date with the new fall schedule. Our source says: "..you have some not so happy campers." read more on this story here: http://www.sglive365.com/news2050106homecoming.html
CD Review: Tim Surrett (self-titled) Overall Grade: A minus The Overall Grade is computed from... 30% Material Grade: A minus...All these songs are strong, but a couple feel like they belong on a different CD (and for good reason). 30% Performance Grade: A...Surrett is in fine vocal form. He also plays at least five different instruments on this recording 30% Production Grade: A...Producers are doing something right when you hear elements you hadn't noticed previously on repeat listens. 10% Presentation Grade: B minus...The artwork is pretty good, but more creativity could have gone into the graphic design. Also, I had to count off an extra bit since Surrett's own name is spelled wrong in one spot. Label: Crossroads Records Producers: Jeff Collins and Tim Surrett Website: www.timsurrett.com Song Titles: "Nobody's Fault But Mine," "Wish You Were Here," "See What The Lord Has Done," "Had It Not Been," "Headin' Home," "Try A Little Kindness," "He Looked Beyond The Cross," "The Well Of Grace," "Hold To God's Unchanging Hand," "You Never Mentioned Him To Me" "Nobody's Fault But Mine" sets the tone for Tim Surrett's new self-titled CD with a Delta blues bass groove juxtaposed against a Motown inspired electric keyboard, Surrett's bluegrass tinged vocals, a wailing mouth harp, and a soulful female background singer. It all adds up to a rootsy sound. For the most part, the rest of the CD follows through in a similar musical vein. There's a couple of notable sidetracks, but fortunately not enough to completely derail the musical concept established by the first track. You might think one exception would be "Wish You Were Here," but actually, the combination of acoustic instruments used for Surrett's signature song matches up well with the other cuts. "See What The Lord Has Done" is the sort of combination you might get if the group Alabama collaborated with the Boston Pops on the music while Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder provided vocals. It's probably my favorite track, just because styles I'd expect to contradict have been made to work together so effectively. "Had It Not Been" is a traditional Country style interpretation with piano and steel guitar driving the accompaniment. A slow blues groove returns for "Headin' Home," with an organ providing support and a nice electric guitar solo leading into the final chorus. Surrett roughes up his vocals a bit just before stacking up a sweet contrasting vocal chord to conclude the track. Next up is a familiar Glen Campbell song called "Try A Little Kindness" that has a timeless, Americana sound. Tracks seven and eight are what you might call "budget savers," since they were already recorded and in the can long before the other songs on this CD were chosen. You'll recognize them immediately if you own a copy of the Kingsmen CD titled The Past Is Past. "He Looked Beyond The Cross" is exactly the same and "The Well Of Grace" just has Surrett's vocals in place of the lead track Jason Selph originally sang. The lush orchestration and anthem format of "He Looked Beyond The Cross" clashes with the rest of the CD. "The Well Of Grace" is closer to the acoustic musical concept, but it also falls short of being rootsy like the rest of the recording. It occured to me that if Surrett was going to lift tracks from The Past Is Past, "The Ole Crossroads" and "The Love Of God Forever Shall Remain" should have been more obvious choices. Surrett ends on a strong note with "Hold To God's Unchanging Hand" and an a cappella take on "You Never Mentioned Him To Me." All in all, this self-titled solo CD is very strong, especially when you consider Surrett's bouts with vocal problems that ultimately forced him to give up the demands of the Kingsmen touring schedule last year. Musical detours aside, I'm particularly impressed by the way Surrett has begun the process of carving out his own unique niche in the Southern Gospel market with this combination of acoustic instrumentation, blues rhythms and soulful singing. Labels: CD Review Introducing Detailed CD Review GradingThe next CD I review will be subjected to a more detailed grading system.
Here's how it works: letter grades will be assigned to four specific categories using the familiar options of A, B, C, D, and F. With the option of pluses and minuses on grades A through D, there's a possibility of thirteen grades per category. Categories include: 1. Material - This grade covers songwriting quality and whether or not the songs on the CD suit each other. 2. Performance - This grade reflects the strength of the featured artist's input. Is it unique? Is it appealing? 3. Production - This scores the quality of the backing tracks and the music arrangements. 4. Presentation - This grade is a rating of packaging/marketing quality. These grades will be used to determine a resulting overall grade. Scores for Material, Performance, and Production will be weighted at 3X each (A+=13X3=39 points, F=1X3=3) for a combined 90% of the overal score with Presentation making up the final 10% (A+=13 points, F=1). The maximum number of points is 130 and the minimum is 10. 126-130 = A+, 116-125 = A, 106-115=A-, 96-105=B+ and so forth down to 10-15=F. (Under this system, it's nearly impossible to get a grade of F or A+.) Another way of looking at the overall grades: A+ = superior/exceptional A = excellent A- = extra good B+ = very good B = good B- = decent C+ = a bit better than average C = average C- = somewhat lacking D+ = clearly flawed D = not good D- = bad F = awful The first review to use the new grading system should be up in a day or so. This is going to require a bit more effort on my part, but if reader response is favorable, I'll make a permanent switch. If the response is negative or inconclusive or nonexistent, I'll probably revert back to the five-star system I've been using for the past few years since it's less taxing on the brain...it's up to you, the reader, to decide what you prefer. Wait for the first review and then leave a comment or drop me an email. Thanks! Eddie Crook Licenses Ultimate Fighting Merchandise05/01/06 EDDIE CROOK LICENSES ULTIMATE FIGHTING MERCHANDISE Representatives of Eddie Crook report that the ECC is making its first venture into non-music related products. A company press release says it has secured the license for the American Fighter brand of t-shirts. read more on this story here: http://www.sglive365.com/news2050106ecrook.html
Shape Note Singing Comes To Jamestown, NYJamestown, New York's The Post-Journal had an interesting article on shape note singing tradition yesterday. Read it HERE.
Reporter Norman Carlson used words like "strange" and "otherworldly" to describe this traditional and unique form of singing. (Gee, I wonder what sort of descriptors he'd come up with to explain styles like heavy metal or modern rap/trance blends.) Of all the varied forms of music, whether contemporary or long forgotten, that have graced the lives of people in Chautauqua County, probably no other has so strange a history, or even so strange a sound, as that known as ‘‘shape note‘‘ or ‘‘Sacred Harp’’ singing. Twice this year eight or 10 people have gathered in Fredonia to sing and create the beautiful otherworldly sounds. 
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