|
|
||
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 29, 2007Does the 'Christian Music Genre' Still Exist?We talk a lot about putting labels on the "style" of music, but consider this question: Does the 'Christian Music Genre' Still Exist? If the answer to this question is "no, not really," then what is "Christian Radio" to do? No longer is it a choice between "sacred" and "secular." And frankly, God has always used whatever and whoever he wants anyway. Is it a day of reckoning with this dichotomy of life we live? --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Does the 'Christian Music Genre' Still Exist? http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070329/26584.htm --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- There is a real catch-22 with it and I could argue both sides. -Daniel Britt Labels: CCM, In The News, Observations March 27, 2007AUDIO/PODCAST INTERVIEW>> Karen Peck & New RiverThe interview with Karen Peck and New River is now available for download. We cover the history of the group, the current status of the group, and remind you why Karen's personality makes her so memorable! -Daniel Britt Labels: audio, Interviews, podcast March 26, 2007Piracy, Copyrights, and Fair UseDaniel Mount posted an excellent article on the topic of audio piracy and how it affects Southern Gospel artists a couple of days ago. Click HERE for the full article. Since then, Adam Edwards has posted a response on his blog that's well worth reading. Mount interviewed Scott Fowler of Legacy Five, Gerald Wolfe of Greater Vision, and Daniel Ball of the Ball Brothers. A couple of quotes in Mount's article caught my attention. One of his questions was whether or not the artists were bothered when a portion of one of their songs was posted on the internet...a short clip, in other words. Here are their responses quoted directly from the article: Scott Fowler said that sharing “a clip of a song or video” didn’t personally bother him, though “sharing a song in its entirety is wrong.” Daniel Ball actually encouraged it, provided the person asked permission first: “If someone asks permission to post clips, we always say ‘yes.’ It’s free advertisement.” Gerald Wolfe, however, took a somewhat different approach. In response to a question asking if it made any difference to him if fans shared a clip of a video or song, he said: “The short answer to that question is ‘yes,’ but the entire answer is that my opinion of it doesn’t matter. It is a question of whether or not Christians follow the guidelines of Federal Copyright Law concerning transmitting material that is protected by the Copyright Law. Christians are admonished by scripture to obey and follow the laws of the land.” Wolfe's answer might be construed as "preachy," but I didn't take it that way. I actually agree with his logic. However, I don't agree with his interpretation of the law. I think Fowler's response was the most correct. You see, the problem with copyright law is that it isn't exactly concrete. Too many issues have been left up to the courts to decide and every time Congress re-writes the law, they make it more convoluted. There are fuzzy areas in Chapter 1, Section 107 of the code where "fair use" is defined. Let's look at that portion of the law for a moment... Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include — (1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; (2) the nature of the copyrighted work; (3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and (4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors. These "factors" to "consider" serve to make a relatively simple portion of the law more difficult to understand. Why doesn't the law simply stipulate a percentage? What does "the nature of the copyrighted work" have to do with fair use? If it wasn't legal to share a portion of a song, it wouldn't be legal for me to quote a portion of Mount's article above for the purpose of commenting on it. Fair use provisions stipulate that I can, though. I can even quote otherwise copyrighted material BEFORE it's published. In his article, Mount pointed out that Ball's answer mentioned he preferred that fans ask permission before sharing a clip, but if it's fair use, then permission isn't required. Fowler said it didn't bother him, which, in my opinion is the correct response, because I understand the law to say it's "fair use" to share an insubstantial portion of a copyrighted work as long as I'm doing it for one of the reasons listed. Another point that is significant: Music publishers, broadcasters, artists, etc. are in the business of protecting their copyrights, as well they should. However, they sometimes to word the law as they'd LIKE for it to be rather than the way it actually is. Example 1a: If you are an artist attempting to record a song held by Gaither's copyright management company and you request a mechanical license, they will charge you a nominal "processing fee" that is over and above the royalties you actually owe. The law does not provide for publishers to collect any extra fees. In fact, mechanical royalties are typically set up so that the publisher splits all income with songwriters. Gaither's company believes it's fine to charge honest artists $10 more than the law requires on every mech license they issue. Most independent artists, not knowing their rights under the law, go along. The last time I dealt with Gaither's company in this capacity, I exercised a compulsory license so they couldn't do this. We were only running one short run of CDs (300 or so), and so I paid them in full and declared the CD "out of print" at that point so I wouldn't have to go through the hassle of sending them installments on the number of CDs we "distributed." All this could have been avoided if they hadn't tried to soak me with an added fee. Example 1b: If you are an artist attempting to record a song held by Word Music and you request a mechanical license, they will direct you to use the Harry Fox Agency. The Harry Fox Agency, in turn, will not deal with royalties on projects with small runs. They only license projects of 500 or more, so you have to pay a minimum if you use Harry Fox. The law does not provide for publishers to require a minimum. In fact, the law stipulates that you have the right to demand a compulsory license at the current statutory royalty rate and you can't be refused. Example 2: If you want to post a short clip on a website, your own or otherwise, the fair use section of copyright law CLEARLY gives you the right to do this as long as it is for "criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research." However, when a person recently posted a 45 second clip of the Super Bowl copyright notice on YouTube where the ONLY purpose is for users to see it and leave comments, the NFL found it and demanded that it be removed. The game was more than two hours in length. The problem is that the general public doesn't know the law, or only know a version that's far from the truth. On one side of the coin, you have pirates who either don't care or will justify their actions due to poorly written copyright law. On the other side of the coin, you have "sheep" who blindly respect anyone who speaks with an air of authority and end up assuming some things are illegal that are in fact, legal. An official "notice" from a huge organization like the NFL carries the weight of authority to the point that YouTube sides with the NFL and removes what was a perfectly legal clip. By the way, that clip was posted to make a point that the NFL copyright notice is over-reaching the language of the law. Getting back to Mount's article, Scott Fowler was quoted in another area as saying: "I don’t know how prevalent audio piracy is in our business, but I assume it will only get more pervasive as our audience embraces current technology. With the advent of mp3 players, iTunes and computer technology, it is certainly easy to do." This is another comment with which I agree...but (you knew that was coming didn't you?)...I think it's incorrect for Fowler to include iTunes in his reply. iTunes does NOT make it easy to share music. iTunes doesn't make it particularly easy for legal users to do as they please with the music they purchase from iTunes. If I want to buy a song using iTunes and listen to it on my iRiver, for example, I can't simply copy it to my iRiver. I have to burn it to a CD, rip that CD as an MP3 file, and only THEN can I listen to the music I purchased as I choose. If I had a proprietary iPod, this wouldn't be a problem with iTunes, but then I'd have the same issue with any music I purchased in WMA format from Walmart's music download service. Of course, the pirates find ways around this...obtaining files illegally via a peer-to-peer (P2P) network or otherwise. Digital Rights Management (DRM) serves only to make life more difficult for LEGAL users. As soon as the music industry wises up and stops making life more difficult for people who are willing to pay for their products, the better off they will be. Also, MP3 players themselves don't really make it easier to abuse the law. MP3 players may be the reason why so many people choose to abuse the law, but the player is just a player. It doesn't provide the technology for grabbing illegal files...lay that blame at computers, P2P networks, and whoever first digitized a song. --------------- Required reading: Brad Templeton's Ten Big Myths About Copyright Also recommended: Visit the Electronic Frontier Foundation Labels: Advice, Other Blogs New At SGHistory.comI'm pleased to say we've had a number of additions to SGHistory.com in the past few of weeks. Fresh blood contributors Levi Johnston, Jeff Foster, and Jarrod Boyd have been diligent in adding to the database...Foster in particular has added a great deal of information. THANKS Jeff, Levi, and Jarrod!! New pages have recently been created for the Prophets, Called Out Quartet, Dixie Melody Boys, Statler Brothers, The Inspirations, Roger Bennett, and Jimmie Davis. New pages are also up for the songs "Midnight Cry," "Oh What A Savior," "Champion Of Love," "I've Read The Back Of The Book," "Jesus Saves," "Amazing Grace," "Heroes Of The Faith," and "Step Into The Water." Whether you're a full fledged Southern Gospel historian or just a devoted fan with information on one group, you are welcome to join us as we work to preserve the history of Southern Gospel music. All you need is a little information from me to get started. Shoot me an email, and you'll be off and running. Labels: Announcements, History March 24, 2007Concert Report: Oak Ridge Boys Here's a set list for the Oak Ridge Boys concert I attended in Johnson City, TN on Friday, March 23. 1. You're The One In A Million 2. Come On In 3. American Made 4. Dig A Little Deeper In The Well 5. Crying Again 6. A Little Love Song 7. This Crazy Love 8. Dream On 9. Something In The Water 10. Dream On Me 11. Hard To Be Cool In A Minivan 12. Y'all Come Back Saloon 13. Ozark Mountain Jubilee 14. Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight 15. Calling Baton Rouge 16. Beautiful You 17. Thank God For Kids 18. Glory Bound 19. Didn't It Rain 20. Jonah, Job, and Moses 21. Angels Watching Over Me 22. Heaven's A Small Town 23. Closer To Home 24. Elvira 25. Heaven Bound Freedom Hall Civic Center was not sold out...the floor was probably two thirds full, while the upper levels were only a fourth full at most...the place seats 6600, so it was still a decent crowd. Tickets on the lower level were $36 a pop...$26 in the upper deck. This is a very fair price, in my opinion, but I suspect numbers like these would give the average Southern Gospel fan a mild stroke. NASCAR being in Bristol, TN (just north of Johnson City) this weekend probably didn't help matters. The Mighty Oaks Band consists of six members...a keyboard specialist, three guitar players, a drummer, and a utility player who switched from steel to fiddle to mandolin to guitar. Joe Bonsall also picked a banjo some, though you could never really hear it in the mix. There was a light show...nothing fancy, but adequate. The four Oaks exude stage presence. Bonsall is all over his part of the stage. Duane Allen is more reserved, but still quite expressive with his body language when a song calls for it. All William Lee Golden has to do is stand there. He delights the crowd with a sort of rough shuffle dance on a couple of songs. He begins the concert wearing shades and a hat, but soon loses the shades. Richard Sterban uses his hands to spell out each phrase he sings...not literally, just figuratively...he wasn't doing ASL. The group works the mics on stands and off. Bonsall completely inverts his mic stand at one point, singing into the mic while he holds the base of the stand five feet in the air over his head. Songs come in rapid fire fashion, one right after another. Bonsall acknowledges the crowd after three songs, then they deliver eight more in a row, including three cuts from their current CD, Front Row Seats. At this point, Bonsall tells of their struggles as a group when they were first getting started in mainstream music during the mid-1970s. This leads into their initial hit song from 1977, "Y'all Come Back Saloon." A bit later, they pause to sign a pink guitar for a nine year old girl, with Bonsall saying, "We're only stopping the concert to sign this guitar because you're so cute." The crowd eats this moment up. Bonsall pauses at another point to talk about their satellite TV reception on their bus. He says the fact that you can watch TV while moving down the road will probably keep them traveling another ten years. He says, "Alabama retired...the Statler Brothers retired...we bought a new bus!" After a few more classic songs, "Thank God For Kids" transitions the concert into gospel territory...well, sort of...the title of "Glory Bound" is deceiving. After that, they do three gospel songs in a row: "Didn't It Rain" and "Jonah, Job And Moses" from their Front Row Seats project and "Angels Watching Over Me" from From The Heart. "Heaven's A Small Town" shifts back to a secular focus, leading into the ending segment of the concert with "Closer To Home" and "Elvira" (which brings most of the crowd to their feet). After "Elvira," the Boys close with an up-tempo gospel song called "Heaven Bound." The house lights come up. The Boys remain on the stage. The fans come up to the stage, and begin shaking their hands. The concert is over. I look at my watch, and it's only 9:15 PM. The concert started at 7:30. They've sung 25 songs in an hour and 45 minutes. Thinking about the concert in general, I thought the mix could have been better. The music mix was somewhat muddy and the vocals weren't boosted enough in some spots. That being said, we were in a large basketball arena, so you have to expect this sort of thing. Overall, it was a great show...a truly professional show...something I don't get to see often enough in Southern Gospel. Labels: Concert Review March 23, 2007Caeser Salad - Bruce Hornsby Tribute - FREE MUSIC I have a piano cut on an upcoming music collection. It's a fan tribute to Bruce Hornsby, with a total of 18 tracks contributed by names you've probably never heard...should be an interesting and eclectic mix. Titled Caeser Salad, this project is a sequel to another Hornsby tribute CD from a few years ago, Shadow Hands. At some point during the month of April (the tentative date is April 9), the official website for Caeser Salad will go "live" and you'll be able to download the entire project...get this...for FREE. Donations to the Carolina Healthcare Foundation and/or the Merlin Project for Multiple Sclerosis are encouraged by the producer of this project, but not required. I'll furnish a link to the Ceaser Salad website as soon as it's up and running. Meanwhile, you can go ahead and download Shadow Hands if you like. Labels: Announcements, audio March 21, 2007Roger Bennett Funeral Live Video Stream Roger Bennett's funeral service will be streamed live over the internet this afternoon. Click HERE for details. The video stream begins three minutes before 2 PM, Central Daylight Time. That's 3 PM Eastern, 1 PM Mountain, and 12 Noon Pacific. Labels: Announcements, Obituary XM Special on Legacy Five, BennettI don't normally post on the blog much about upcoming shows of Daniel Britt & Friends on XM (really because you have several other places where you can keep up with that: the schedule page, the newsletter, or enlighten34). However, there is a unique spotlight coming up that I thought you should know about. Before Roger Bennett passed away on the 17th, we had plans already in place, and the broadcast fully produced, to air a special on Legacy Five the week of 3/26/07. Now that Roger has passed, this interview and L5 spotlight will be even timelier. This is one of Roger's last interviews, recorded during NQC week 2006, just following the news of his leukemia relapse. There's a lot of conversation with Roger in this special where he talks very candidly about his health struggles and some hard places where he has walked. You will notice a tribute to Roger just before the produced broadcast airs. This edition of the program will last over an hour. Here's the official synopsis of next week's show: Coming up on the next Daniel Britt & Friends: In the quartet world of gospel singing, a group of FIVE guys may seem to be a quandary. Not so when talking about Legacy Five! This "quartet," with their talented pianist Roger Bennett, carries on a legacy the spans generations. You have the invitation to hear their music and share stories of their individual lives coming up. We've got them all sitting around our table with a place set for you, too. Glenn, Frank, the two Scotts and the one and only Roger are here for the hour. With the passing of Roger earlier this month, this interview provides one of the final opportunities for listeners to hear directly from his heart. It was recorded in September 2006, just a matter of days after Roger's reoccurrence of leukemia and he talked with us about that current situation he faced. In addition to the special hour-long highlight on Legacy Five, we also begin the program with a tribute to Roger Bennett. This is certainly a program worth holding out for and it's coming soon on Daniel Britt & Friends. Daniel Britt & Friends is heard each week on XM Satellite Radio's enLighten 34 - Mondays at 7PM ET, Thursdays at 10PM ET, and Saturdays at 12 Noon ET. You can also hear it online at xmradio.com, at AOL Radio, or with DirecTV on channel 828. After the broadcast, you can download the extended interview from www.danielbritt.com -Daniel Britt Labels: Announcements, Interviews, Obituary, XM News March 20, 2007Oak Ridge Fan BoyOn Friday, I'm off to Johnson City, TN to my first ever Oak Ridge Boys concert. I've wanted to attend one of these events for years (literally), but every time I learned they were coming within driving distance, I already had something planned. Not this time. I ordered a tee shirt from their website. I hope it shows up before Friday. I'm an Oak Ridge Fan Boy. Labels: Announcements Two New SG BlogsAdam Edwards and Kyle (no last name) have started Southern Gospel blogs titled Southern Gospel Critique and Southern Gospel View respectively. I'm already familiar with Edwards. He has contributed some significant content to my SGHistory site in the past few months and is a regular poster on various SG message boards. From the initial posts made by both men, it appears they are sincere fans of Southern Gospel with critical eyes...two characteristics that make for good SG blogging. I look forward to reading what they have to say in coming months. Labels: Observations, Other Blogs March 19, 2007AUDIO/PODCAST INTERVIEW>> Greater VisionHere's my interview with Greater Vision (Gerald Wolfe, Jason Waldroup, and Rodney Griffin). In addition to normal biographical stuff about the group and their members, you'll hear our conversation move to industry talk -- like about the logistics of writing good songs like Rodney has written. And how the industry should respond to change in music styles and, yes, even hair styles! Then, you can go back to 2004 and hear a previous interview I did separately with Gerald. -Daniel Britt Labels: audio, Interviews, podcast March 17, 2007Roger Bennett Passes AwaySinging News is reporting that Roger Bennett passed away this morning. Click HERE for their report. Roger Bennett was an immensely popular pianist during his years with the Cathedrals and Legacy Five. He had a tremendous wit even during his struggles with cancer. His name will be added to the Southern Gospel Hall Of Fame later this year. I always thought Bennett was one of the most tasteful piano players in Southern Gospel. He knew how to add just the right amount of flash to a song to make it stand out. He had a good sense of flow. At NQC's Pianorama one year (when Anthony Burger was still the featured host), all the other players were wowing the crowd with flashy runs and bombastic tracks, Bennett went up when it was his turn and played a calm hymn. The only time I ever had the opportunity to speak with Bennett briefly was at a Cathedrals Reunion concert at Furman University in Greenville, SC during the late 1990s. I bought his piano book and got him to autograph it. Come to think of it, that's the last time I got an autograph from an artist. I still use the piano book in church on a regular basis. Of course, most everyone knows that Roger Bennett won a dozen or so Singing News Fan Awards in the Pianist category. His tenure with the Cathedrals coupled with his skill at the piano and outgoing nature both on and off the stage cemented his relationship with the fans. Labels: In The News, Obituary March 16, 20072007 Singing News Top Ten Fan AwardsTop Ten Nominations By now, you may have already read that Singing News announced the Fan Award nominees for 2007. Click HERE for the complete list. As it stands at the moment, there are ten categories with ten nominees. Subscribers who receive the May 2007 issue of Singing News will have the opportunity to vote and narrow the field down to five nominations in each category. Subscribers who receive the July 2007 issue will then determine the final outcome. I didn't mail in a ballot, since I'm writing reviews for the Singing News now. If I had, here's who would have received my votes: Group - Dove Brothers Quartet *Male Singer - Arthur Rice *Female Singer - Lauren Talley Horizon Group - Skyline Boys Horizon Individual - Bryan Elliott *Musician - Jeff Stice *Young Artist - Scott Inman *Songwriter - Kyla Rowland Song - "Sky Full Of Angels" Album - Everyday by Mark Bishop Those marked with asterisks made it past the first round. I'd stick with them on the next ballot, of course. In the categories I missed, I'd go with the following : Group - Brian Free & Assurance Horizon Group - Crist Familiy Horizon Individual - Jeremy Lile Song - "My Anchor Of Hope" Album - Revival by Gold City Part Categories Return Along with the announcement of the nominees, Singing News has reactivated six categories that had previously been slated for deletion. In May, subscribers will vote to determine five nominees each for Tenor, Lead, Baritone, Bass, Soprano, and Alto categories. Here's how 2007 compares to 2006: 1. 13 categories from 2006 have been retained. These include Female, Male, Songwriter, Song, Horizon Individual, Horizon Group, Album, Tenor, Lead, Baritone, Bass, Soprano, and Alto. 2. The separate categories for Pianist and Musician have been combined to create a single Musician category. 3. The category for Young Artist has been retained with modifications. 2007 nominees must be no older than 25 and previous winners are ineligible. The previous requirement was that artists be 30 or younger. 4. Mixed Group, Traditional Quartet, and Trio categories have been combined to create an overall Group category. 5. Soloist, Band, Website, Small Market DJ, Medium Market DJ, and Large Market DJ have been eliminated. (Soloists are eligible in the overall Male or Female category.) There were 22 presentations and 23 acceptance speeches in 2006. (The extra speech was due to a "statistical tie" for the Traditional Group category.) Also, there was a point in the program where the three DJ categories were announced. Reducing the number of categories to 10 at first was probably an over-reaction to complaints regarding the length of the ceremony. They can always leave off the six vocal part presentations when editing it down to a length suitable for a TV special if length is still an issue for that department. All things considered, this is a good compromise. Labels: Fan Awards, Observations, Singing News The Risks of CreativityAt SouthernGospelBlog.com, the topic of Table Sales came up. Throughout the comments on that post, the topic shifted somewhat to "custom projects" versus "record label projects." One poster said that the custom, table-projects are often great projects in their own right, once the artist is free from following the wishes of a label executive. I replied with my thoughts on the subject: You have a point, Ron. I thought about this some during the conference at Crossroads. Because I’ve often heard the complaint from artists that record companies dictate what you record and, in their opinion, stifle the artist’s own creativity (which is probably what attracted the record deal in the first place). How often has one heard the complaint that “I liked them better before they ‘made it big’ and were signed? They were producing better, more original creativity on their custom/table projects.” HOWEVER, I tend to agree with how the record companies think, too. IF you have an artist who really is a creative genius and innovative with his music, then the record company probably is smart enough to let that artist run their own show. Realistically, though, how many artists are good talents, so-so at creativity, but still need a bit of seasoned help from the record company with whom they are signed? I think this may be the case for the majority. So, just as remixes are popular, I’d like to see both angles and, from a fan’s standpoint, choose for myself: “do I like the record company version of the artist or the artist’s version of the artist?” For the sake of good business, you’d probably have to side with the record company. For the sake of variety and possibly a surprise-success, you’d look forward to see what the artist can do on their own. Risk is risky which is why we don’t see more of it. -Daniel Britt Labels: Observations, Other Blogs AUDIO/PODCAST INTERVIEW>> Chonda PierceI talked to comedian (or is it comedienne?) Chonda Pierce yesterday about an upcoming Atlanta concert event. But the conversation also talks about Christians performing in secular arenas, being a "funny lady" with depression at the same time, and about how singing fits into her shows. Chonda really is a blast! -Daniel Britt Labels: audio, Interviews, podcast March 15, 2007Retail vs. Table SalesDaniel Mount raises an issue we discussed at the blogger summit: table sales vs. retail. I suspect some other genres face the same problem, though off the top of my head, I can't think of another genre where artists routinely turn out two or more recordings per year. I suppose one jaded answer might be that other genres don't have a built-in guilt complex among the fans driving them to "encourage" well meaning groups that don't have the skill to sing their way out of a wet paper bag. This takes away money that might otherwise be spent on a really good group, leveling the playing field and encouraging anyone and everyone to participate. This notion also extends to what radio is willing to play on the air. In other genres lacking this "we must support our brothers" mentality, people will buy and play your music only if they like it. The question comes down to whether more harm is done than good by false praise. I submit that it is. It's a vicious cycle. One point I tried to raise at the meeting is that until a group reaches a "critical mass" of popularity...meaning their recordings regularly recoup expanses and they see significant benefits from sales at retail...they aren't going to see the value of retail. Who can blame them? If an artist makes an average profit of less than $1 per unit on say, 12000 units per title sold at retail, and $10 per unit on 3000 units per title sold at their table, the question is a no brainer. Often, that average profit on retail is zero, because the CD never recouped production expenses. What the artist fails to see, and what recording labels ought to emphasize to their artists, is that more retail sales should open more doors for concerts and higher flats. You aren't going to get many large scale concert promoters interested in you if you aren't moving product at retail. FYI, we have very few large scale concert promoters in SG. We have a few who think they're big, but when you compare them to CCM concert promoters like Premier Productions and others, the scale is much different. Labels: Observations, Other Blogs March 14, 2007Mark Lowry Added To NQC Main StageAlthough they're not billing him as a soloist, NQC has just announced that Mark Lowry has been added to the main stage. He will appear on Friday night as part of a 50th anniversary celebration of the NQC and will perform along with LordSong. I think this is a move that will give NQC some added drawing power. Labels: In The News, Observations March 13, 2007Southern Gospel launches in CanadaThis link announces the addition of XM's Southern Gospel radio channel, enLighten, to the satellite radio menu in Canada via XM Canada (www.xmradio.ca). This announcement also means that the weekly release of "Daniel Britt & Friends" will now be heard throughout all of North America. Expect these changes to take effect April 1, 2007. Welcome, Canadians! -Daniel Britt Labels: Announcements, In The News, XM News March 12, 2007Where Musicscribe Draws The LineSusan Unthank sparked a good discussion a few weeks ago that's still underway. The topic began as "What Do You Want To Read," but has since morphed into "Where Do You Draw The Line" when it comes to reporting negative news. If it's some bit of news that may be perceived as negative, I draw the line at verifying the facts. This doesn't mean I necessarily wait for a press release to be issued. I've been known to pose questions without waiting to be spoon fed. After the facts are confirmed, I then try to apply the "What Would Jesus Do?" principle. I also ask myself, "Would I say this if the parties being discussed were in the same room?" (Of course, I'm not particularly shy. Some things I might say to a person, another person might not.) There's another extreme I also make every effort to avoid. Just as there is a line between reporting negative news and gossip/rumor, there's also a line between positive news and sensationalism. That's why you'll rarely see me quote a press release word for word. I should also point out that one major difference between Musicscribe and pure news reporting is that we're more about opinions. Daniel Britt or I may allude to a news story or even break news on rare occasions, but it's usually so we can add our own opinion to what has transpired. I don't lose any sleep if we get scooped, because reporting the news isn't really our first concern. Labels: Observations, Other Forums Yes, Virginia. We are taking over Southern Gospel.Since David Bruce Murray gives me space here to make my own commentary and posts, I have decided in the spirit of clarity, to simply offer a link to my summary of the blogger summit meeting. I hope this will avoid any confusion as to "my thoughts" versus "David's thoughts." My post is here. -Daniel Britt Labels: Observations March 10, 2007CD Review: Mike Upright (Plain, Simple, Good) RATING: 3 1/2 Stars Website: Click HERE Producers: Mike Upright and Scott Barnett Songs: "He Is Risen," "The Only Fire," "Narrow Minded," "The Visit," "I Have Not Forgotten," "Promised Land," "When The Sun Comes Up Tomorrow," "It's Bound To Be The Lord," "Too Much Time," and "What A Prayer Can Do" The concept for Plain Simple Good is excellent and the execution, while short of perfect, is very good. This CD incorporates vintage guitars and other instruments to re-create a classic Country mood. A 1949 electric guitar, "one of the first microphones ever sung or played through at the Ryman Auditorium," and a well used steel guitar amp are mentioned in the liner notes. Players on Plain Simple Good include Richard Putnam, Rick Murray, Mark Fain (bassist for Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder), and David Johnson. Holly Blanton (of 3 For 1) and Damon Roberts are on hand for background vocals. The artwork sells the classic concept of the recording with a photo of a vintage radio and art on the actual CD that looks like a vinyl record. Unfortunately, the liner notes don't provide specific details about which instruments and pieces of vintage recording equipment are used on each song. Songwriter information is also sadly neglected. One track that immediately catches my attention is "I Have Not Forgotten." The Inspirations have this song at the top of the Singing News airplay chart for April 2007. Upright's version is fundamentally better. This is not due to his own vocal performance, primarily, but is more accurately attributed to the background vocals. The sweet quality of the layered voices is light years away from muscle clenching, tight-necked, strained tones. Other highlights from Upright's CD include an Easter song titled "He Is Risen;" "Narrow Minded," a cut about staying on the right path; and "Promised Land," a melody that may remind you of the 1960s war song, "Ballad Of The Green Berets." Fans of classic Country/Western music will probably want to seek out a copy of Plain Simple Good. Upright's voice is like a lower pitched, poor man's version of Marty Robbins. A closer comparison to Upright in terms of vocal range is Ed Bruce. (Remember songs like "My First Taste Of Texas" and "The Last Cowboy Song?") Similar to Bruce and Robbins, Upright strikes a balance between ordinary vanilla diction and gross over-pronunciation. He has a storyteller quality in his delivery. Most Country artists would probably lean more towards a nasally Dwight Yoakam or Buck Owens vocal style for this collection of songs, but Upright gratefully never takes it that far. Labels: CD Review CD Review: Russ Taff (Now More Than Ever) A Nutshell Review RATING: 3 1/2 Stars BUY IT! Website: www.russtaff.com Producers: James Hoolihan, Russ Taff, Michael Sykes, Bill Gaither, and Barry Jennings Songs: "Somebody's Coming," "The Sweetest Song I Know," "I'm Glad," "More Than Ever," "Just Believe," "The Really Big News," "Jesus Is The Best Thing," "Thank To Calvary," "Until I Found The Lord," "Jesus Loves Me," "I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary," "Heartbreak Ridge And New Hope Road," "At The Altar," and "Hurt By Hurt" It's been four years since Russ Taff's last solo CD, The Best Of Russ Taff (2003). Now More Than Ever is probably an appropriate title for more than one reason, because Taff is singing a slew of cover songs once again. The most refreshing cut on this project is a remake of the 1973 song, "Jesus Is The Best Thing." Taff slips into classic Black Gospel mode with ease. Attempts at whiter fare like "Jesus Loves Me" (not the children's song) are less successful. Taff has actually recorded "Somebody's Coming" and "Just Believe" previously on solo releases, and he repeats these songs here with relish. "The Really Big News" and "Heartbreak Ridge And New Hope Road" are lifted directly from Everything Good, a CD the Gaither Vocal Band recorded while Taff was a group member in 2002. Given his innovative track record, you'd think a singer with Taff's unique vocal abilities would want to bring something fresh to the table after a four year break. That being said, this is still a good quality recording from a production standpoint with some of the best musicians and background vocalists you could want. Now More Than Ever is nearly an hour long, with a total of 14 tracks. Labels: CD Review CD Review: Gospel Harmony Boys (I Believe) A Nutshell Review RATING: 2 Stars Website: www.gospelharmonyboys.org Producer: Michael Bloomfield Songs: "Glad Glad Morning," "Heaven's Streets," "Grandma's Graduation Day," "There's A Certain Kind Of Certainty," "Glory And Praise," "He's My Dearest Friend," "The Best Is Yet To Come," "Still Be Believing," "Leading To Calvary," "All My Labors Will Be O're (sic)," "I Believe," "So I Gave My Heart To Him," "He Hideth My Soul," and "Battle Hymn Of The Republic" I Believe by the Gospel Harmony Boys has a promising start with the upbeat "Glad, Glad Morning" and a 1970s styled track titled "Heaven's Streets." After that, the quality is less consistent. "Grandma's Graduation Day" suffers from a cheesy lyric and a poor vocal mix. "There's A Certain Kind Of Certainty" could have been done with no artificial brass. "Glory And Praise" is an inspirational track that may go over well in a concert setting. Perfectly suiting the group vocally, "He's My Dearest Friend" has a nice mid-tempo track with a classic orchestration. The music theorist in me perked up when the thirteenth chord with the added ninth was sung so tastefully at the end. A special moment like that may make it worth your time to check out I Believe. Of the remaining eight tracks, one I'd classify as pretty good ("Leading To Calvary") and one ("Still Be Believing") as not very good. I had a lukewarm reaction to the other six. One other thing I noticed was a number of incorrectly spelled names and words on the back cover. Labels: CD Review March 9, 2007Blogger Summit ReportI just got home a short while ago from the "Blogger Summit." In attendance were Mickey Gamble, Chris White, Scott Wagner (sp?), and Jim Stover of Crossroads; Wayne Haun and Kevin Ward of Vine Records; bloggers Doug Harrison, Daniel Britt, and me. Daniel Mount participated by phone as well. Mount has posted a running commentary of our discussion on the Singing News forum. Go ahead and read that first, if you want, because I'm not going to rehash what he's already posted. In a nutshell, the agenda for the day presented by Crossroads was: 1. Let's talk generally about various aspects of the industry. 2. Here's what we do in these various areas. 3. Do you have any questions? 4. What would you do if you were in our shoes?" Topics included the state of radio, television, concert promotion, product distribution, finances, declining sales trends, marketing techniques, the Singing News chart and Fan Awards, SG choral music, record production (particularly song selection), and artists. A few acronyms were thrown around...BMI, NARAS, AGM, etc. For those of you worried about us being bribed, I guess I should disclose that we all got a free DVD and Crossroads picked up the tab for lunch. No cash...oh well...I guess I'll just have to keep on being honest with my opinions rather than becoming a devious promotional mouthpiece for the SG recording industry. :o) Seriously, at the end of the day, I was glad to have the opportunity to meet several people I hadn't had the chance to meet previously. In the process, I learned some details about the recording industry that will help me be a more accurate blogger in the future. Additionally, I had the opportunity to make a couple of face-to-face suggestions to the Crossroad execs about embracing digital downloads (which they appear to already have in the works) and being pro-active in improving inferior SG radio (which they aren't really doing at the moment, but have tried in the past with only marginal success). I was also able to lend some perspective to the discussion from my previous experience working in Christian retail. What was the result of today's meeting? We met, we talked, we ate, we talked some more. Only time will tell if anything fruitful actually took place today, but that wasn't really the point. The point was to give bloggers an opportunity to share suggestions with Crossroads while they in turn gave us a glimpse "behind the curtain" of the Southern Gospel industry. Labels: Announcements, Observations Another Group MergerRuppes sisters, Valerie Ellenburg and Heather Day, will be joining their sister, Kim Lord, and brother-in-law, Michael Lord, as members of LordSong by August. Greg Day will also be joining LordSong as a vocalist. Chuck Peters has the story (or you can visit www.lordsong.org for more details). This should be a dynamic combination. Labels: In The News March 8, 2007Blogger Summit ContinuedRegarding my previous post on tomorrow's "Blogger Summit," Trent had this to say: I think you bloggers are great, and I love to read your stuff. I think what you have to say has, in many instances, advanced & improved SG exposure and given us food for thought about our music and artists. However, I think you are being naive if you think some SG record execs are getting together with you just to chat you up & get your input on the direction of the industry. Does starting up a blog make you an expert on the industry? No. If I was interested in dentistry and started a blog about it, would the great journals on medicine be interested in my comments? No. Would dentists? Well, they might read it for curiosity sake, but they wouldn't really care what I thought about procedures for root canals. My guess is the record execs are going to very subtly & gently prod you guys into being a "positive" voice for the industry and to tone down any negativity. Just a hunch. ------------- To Trent and anyone else with similar thoughts, I would say that it's true that I'm naive about some issues. I am the sort of person who takes people at face value the first time. If they try to burn me, I adjust accordingly in my future dealings with them. I'm way past the star-struck fan stage at this point in my life, though. I'm a huge fan of Southern Gospel, obviously, but it's more a love of the musical style now than the personalities who are, after all, just people. Flattery can be just as offensive to me as rudeness, if I perceive that the person giving the flattery is just wanting something from me. I agree that starting a blog doesn't make a person an expert. In fact, it's probably the quickest way to prove a person isn't an expert if in fact, they aren't. I'm reminded of the old adage, "It's better to keep your mouth shut and have everyone think you're a fool than open your mouth and prove it." However, I would hasten to point out that SOME blogs are run by experts. These may be few and far between in Southern Gospel, but there are plenty of examples otherwise. Plus there's the fact that interactive dialog coupled with experience can, over time, make a fan into an expert on a particular subject. Granted, it may not be enough to turn a person into a dentist (at least not legally), but SG isn't exactly dental surgery. If it is, we have a lot of false practitioners. As for my own credentials, I'd prefer that my writing pass or fail on its own merit. If that isn't enough, I do happen to have a couple of diplomas stuck in a drawer that say I earned undergraduate and graduate level degrees in Sacred Music and Music Theory respectively, for whatever they're worth. Labels: Observations March 7, 2007Blogger SummitNo one else has announced this yet, so I might as well be the first. Doug Harrison, Daniel Britt, and I will be meeting with some Southern Gospel record execs this coming Friday to chew the fat. Daniel Mount will be joining us by phone as well. Call it a meeting of the minds or a meeting of the mouths or a meeting of blogger's whose first names begin with D. It should be interesting. And no, I don't expect we'll be signing any recording contracts...the Blogger Quartet...the mind reels with sarcastic comebacks to an announcement like that. :o) Labels: Announcements March 5, 2007Vine Records Noticed By Billboard WriterAt a time when the viability of many record companies seems less than certain, three new labels are launching in the Christian community... Haun and Ward...conceived Vine Records as a shelter for artists they believe in. "Artists that I had been working with for the past 10 years were out of a home as far as a label goes, and there was nowhere to go," said Haun, an award-winning producer who previously served as vice president of A&R (artist and repertoire) at Daywind Records. "We put some funds together and started with one project, and that one turned into two, and now we have a label." Read the full of the article HERE. There's an interesting stat included in the article regarding how Christian music was one of the few music "genres" that had measurable growth in 2006. Labels: In The News AUDIO/INTERVIEW PODCAST>> Mercy's MarkHere's the mp3 interview download of the extended interview with the men of Mercy's Mark, recorded in September during NQC week in Louisville, Kentucky. Enjoy! -Daniel Britt Labels: audio, Interviews, podcast March 3, 2007CD Review: Mark Bishop (Abundant Sunshine) RATING: 4 Stars Producers: Jeff Collins and Mark Bishop Label: Sonlite Records Website: www.markbishopmusic.com Song Titles: "Abundant Sunshine (Part 1)," "This Is Where Needed Things Are Found," "I Can Think Of One," "Put Wings Upon Your Problems," "Thomas, Why Do You Doubt?," "You Get Back Each Single Minute," "God's Got A Whole Lot Of Love," "The Patience Of The Angels," "Mean, Mean People," "Written On A Tree," and "Abundant Sunshine (Part 2)" Look for this review in the May 2007 issue of Singing News. (Click the link to subscribe if you don't already receive the magazine.) Labels: CD Review CD Review: Kingdom Heirs (True To The Call) RATING: 4 1/2 Stars Producer: Jeff Collins and Arthur Rice Label: Sonlite Records Website: www.kingdomheirs.com Song Titles: "Since Jesus Moved In," "The Rock's Between The Hard Place And You," "True To The Call," "I Am The Way," "I Want You To Know," "Jesus Made A Believer Out Of Me," "Looking Out For You," "Praying Your Troubles Away," "Lord Your Word Is Still True," and "What We Needed" Look for this review in the May 2007 issue of Singing News. (Click the link to subscribe if you don't already receive the magazine.) Labels: CD Review March 2, 2007FYI: The Comment Process Has Been SimplifiedI've just made it a bit simpler to leave comments on this blog. You'll no longer be asked to go through a word verification process. I pass/fail every comment that goes up anyway, so there's really no point in making you jump through that hoop. It's a balancing act. In a perfect world, I could allow unmoderated commenting so you'd see your comments added immediately, but unfortunately, there's spammers and the occasional rude commentator who must be collectively thwarted somehow. By the way, a Google/Blogger account is NOT required to post comments. When you click on "x comments" (or "permalink") under an article and then on Post A Comment, you'll be taken to a screen that gives you three options: A) posting under your Google/Blogger identity, B) posting under a different identity, or C) posting anonymously. Although this screen defaults to Google/Blogger, you can choose either of the other two options. Labels: Housekeeping CD Review: Jodi Hosterman (I Will Stand) RATING: 3 1/2 Stars Website: www.orioncreative.com/storybook.htm Producer: Arthur Rice Songs: "Speak The Word," "I Will Stand," "Farther On," "Sooner Than You Think," "By Grace Alone," "I'm Holding On," "Count On You," "I Know Him," "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," and "Mary, Did You Know?" Pulling stints with groups like Kevin Spencer & Friends and the Kingdom Heirs prior to accepting his current position with the Skyline Boys, Jodi Hosterman is no stranger to Southern Gospel audiences. You may not realize he's a songwriter, however. I Will Stand includes seven of Hosterman's original songs. As I listened to this CD, I kept drawing comparisons to Steve Green. This was due more to Hosterman's writing style than his voice. Even though they sing in the same range, generally speaking, Hosterman's tone is pretty distinctive (as is Green's). "Speak The Word" is a nice mid-tempo opening number. Next, the title cut is an anthem that begins softly and slowly builds to a big finish. "Farther On" is in a similar vein, except it softens down after reaching a high point. The rhythm of the hook on the up-tempo "Sooner Than You Think" is a bit awkward in spots. Otherwise, it's a decent enough song. "By Grace Alone" and "I'm Holding On" are two anthems that again made me think someone should send a copy of I Will Stand to Steve Green. Who knows? He might want to record a couple of these songs. "Count On You" uses the music track from the Kingdom Heirs project, Forever Changed, providing a nice contrast to the slower songs. Kingdom Heirs members Arther Rice and Steve French can be heard singing background vocals on this cut as well. "I Know Him" is the final original Hosterman song on I Will Stand. It has a full orchestral accompaniment. The CD concludes with the familiar tunes, "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," showcasing Hosterman's higher range, and "Mary, Did You Know?" Although I Will Stand obviously isn't a big budget recording, Milton Smith's orchestrations make it sound convincing. This CD does what it's intended to do: display Hosterman's multi-faceted abilities. After hearing I Will Stand, I suspect the Skyline Boys will be taking advantage of Hosterman's writing skills in the future. Labels: CD Review AUDIO/PODCAST INTERVIEW>> John Christopher Knight (2007)I recently had another visit with John Christopher Knight, whose family produces some of the most unique, original music you've ever heard. It doesn't fall into any kind of box. They're Christians and some of the music references their faith while some simply references life (and after all, isn't God the God of all?). Listen to this visit with John, recorded in February of 2007. Then, you can also go back and listen to an earlier interview recorded in September of 2005 at this link. -Daniel Britt Labels: audio, Interviews, podcast Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? Click HERE to watch the pilot and future episodes of a new game show structured similar to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? There's a tiered structure of ten questions with a chance at an eleventh, million dollar question if a contestant makes it that far. Lifelines are called "cheats" with real fifth graders as your only helpers. There's no multiple choice, though. You have to know the answer. That being said, most questions are relatively easy, since everything is limited to the fifth grade level. Rather than weeding out the contestant pool for really smart people like WWTBAM, they appear to screen the candidates to find those with lower than average common sense. The first guy up on the very first show, Seth Finn, a UCLA graduate with a major in history, misses EVERY question. He uses his cheats on the first three questions. To add insult to injury, he didn't know the fourth question, a history question, so he dropped out of the game. He won $5000 for knowing absolutely nothing! If you like watching people miss questions they should have learned in grade school, and can picture Jeff Foxworthy as a game show host, you might enjoy this show. I think it will flop, though. I mean, when the answer is orange, and the question is "What do you get when you combine equal amounts of red and yellow?," and Foxworthy tries to milk the moment like Regis...did she get it right or not?...a "pregnant pause"... Well, there's only so much of that a person can take. Labels: TV Shows March 1, 2007AUDIO/PODCAST INTERVIEW>> The PfeifersHere's my interview with John and Candy Pfeifer (siblings) and good friend Mary Jane Carter who collectively make up the unique Gospel sound of the Pfeifers. BONUS: When you listen to the interview, you'll also hear some industry discussion about the new American Gospel Music brand and the Pfeifers' involvement. Labels: audio, Interviews, NQC, podcast 
| |||
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.