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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June 22, 2007

Darrell Toney (Jerry Reed Revisited)

RATING: 5 Stars

Producers: Rodney Ingle and Darrell Toney
Label: Wilson Creek
Website: www.darrelltoney.com

Song Titles: "Stand Back...Here We Come (song intro)," "Jerry's Breakdown," "Bluesland," "Funky Junk," "The Claw," "Dreaming Fairytales," "First Born," "Stump Water," "Reedology," "Bake," "The Mad Russian," "Reed That Thang," "Jiffy Jam," and "The Early Dawn" (click song titles to download samples from Toney's website)

This is going read more like a raving recommendation than a proper review. If you're into hot licks guitar playing at all, you owe it to yourself to seek and find Jerry Reed...Revisited by Darrell Toney And Friends. That's really all you need to know. The energy and virtuosity of the players gathered in one place to create this project is simply outstanding.

As you can gather from the title, we really aren't talking about a Southern Gospel project. It's a tribute to guitar picker, Jerry Reed. Toney does have a SG connection or two, though. He's the son of Kyer Toney (one of the original Toney Brothers), which makes him a first cousin to the group's current manager, Terry Toney. He's also a cousin to Dean Adkins, who is without a doubt one of Southern Gospel music's biggest fans. (If it hadn't been for Dean, it's likely this CD would never have crossed my path.) Older fans may recall that Toney sang with a trio called Renaissance in the 1970s, recording on the Milk & Honey record label. Currently, he works with Franklin Graham's evangelism team.

Back to the music...

The first cut ("Jerry's Breakdown") has a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Will The Circle Be Unbroken vibe, with clips of the musicians talking in the studio before and after the track. I wouldn't have minded if Toney had continued to borrow this idea from the Dirt Band, but the other tracks lack any spoken filler. Eleven other instrumentals written by Reed and Toney's tribute to Reed titled "Reed That Thang" complete Jerry Reed...Revisited. Most of these feature Nashville picking in the style popularized by Reed and his good friend, Chet Atkins, but a few ("Bluesland," "Dreaming Fairytales" "First Born," and "The Early Dawn") drift in various directions...jazz, blues, and classical...for an added level of contrast. (Song clips are linked above.)

Session players included Buddy Greene, Buddy Hyatt, and several others (who may or may not answer to "Buddy"). The late harmonica virtuoso Terry McMillan is showcased in several spots.

One thought struck me that really has nothing to do with the music on this particular CD. It's just a point that can be thrown into the age old debate that continuously swirls around Christians who happen to be musicians. (This point is free...no additional charge!) Here's Darrell Toney, making a name for himself among music fans who enjoy the hot guitar style, regardless of whether they happen to be Christians or not. IF they get interested enough to learn more about Toney, what is his regular day job? He helps make huge evangelistic events possible around the world. I don't know the man personally, but he appears to be a good example of that salt and light that the Bible talks about, finding creative ways to express himself artistically while obviously enjoying himself in the process and clearly making a greater effort than many of us can claim when it comes to spreading the Gospel around the world.

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posted by David Bruce Murray @ 12:17:00 AM


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