Dave's Top Eight

1. Jerry Reed...Revisited by Darrell Toney (reviewed 6/07) (5 Stars)
2. Sounds Like Sunday by Janet Paschal (reviewed 5/07) (5 Stars)
3. True To The Call by Kingdom Heirs (reviewed 3/07) (4 1/2 Stars)
4. Revival by Gold City (reviewed 10/06) (4 1/2 Stars)
5. Get Away Jordan by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound (reviewed 2/07) (4 1/2 Stars)
6. Breakin' Chains by Three Bridges (reviewed 5/07) (4 1/2 Stars)
7. Big Sky by The Isaacs (reviewed 4/07)
8. Skywriting by Mercy's Well (reviewed 7/07)

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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February 23, 2007

CD Review: Ernie Haase And Signature Sound (Get Away, Jordan)

RATING: 4 1/2 Stars
BUY IT!

Website: www.erniesigsound.com
Producers: Lari Goss and Michael English
Songs: (Click a song title to hear a sample) "Someday," "He's My Guide," "Lovest Thou Me (More Than These?)," "John In The Jordan," "He Made A Change," "Until We Fly Away," "Beyond The Blues," "It Is Done," "Our Debts Will Be Paid," "Get Away, Jordan," "Happy Birthday, Anniversary Too," "I Pledge My Allegiance," "The Star-Spangled Banner," "Oh, What A Savior," "The Plan Of Salvation" (live version), and "Get Away, Jordan" (live version)

The CD version of Get Away, Jordan by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound clocks in with sixteen tracks (including two versions of the title cut) totalling 58 minutes. I hope you like variety, because this CD has a bit of everything.

There's a number of remakes. In fact, every decade from the 1940s to the current decade with the exception of the 1980s is represented by at least one song. Some are close to arrangements we've heard previously ("Oh What A Savior" and "Someday"), but most have been given a fresh twist. "He Made A Change" is more bluesy than the Cathedrals version. "Get Away, Jordan" has a full brass orchestration, while "Our Debts Will Be Paid" has some adjustments made to the timing traditionally used on some phrases.

More recently written tunes that stand out on Get Away, Jordan include "Until We Fly Away," "He's My Guide," and "Beyond The Blues." I wish Ernie Haase would have picked one pronunciation for "Jordan" and stuck with it on "John In The Jordan." It sounds natural when the Fairfield Four sings "Jerdun," but not when Haase does. That being said, it's still a good song. The only real clunker on this CD is "Happy Birthday, Anniversary Too." It's like the Muppets suddenly took over. We're not really talking novelty or humor exactly...the word that comes to my mind is "campy." The position where this song is placed on the CD is odd as well. It's hard to shift from a VeggieTales inspired song like "Happy Birthday, Anniversary Too" to a serious patriotic attitude for "I Pledge My Allegiance" and "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Taken as a whole, it's difficult to sum up Get Away, Jordan in a nutshell. It's part patriotic, part nostalgia, part modern quartet, part fresh songwriting, part timeless orchestrations, and part live recording. What's great is that the group shifts effortlessly from one song to the next with only a couple awkward moments.

BUY IT!

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posted by David Bruce Murray @ 10:27:00 PM


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