Producer: Lari Goss
Label: Daywind Records

Website: www.marktrammellministries.com

Song Titles: “How Long Has It Been,” “Ransomed And Redeemed,” “It’s Almost Over,” “Testimony,” “God Knows How Much Mercy I Need,” “I Want To Know,” “Calvary Medley,” “One Drop Of Blood,” “When Jesus Comes,” and “I Believe, I Believe, I Believe”

Since the announcement earlier this year that the Mark Trammell Trio would be transforming into a quartet with the addition of bass singer Pat Barker, their first major label release has been high on my radar. My anticipation increased when I learned Lari Goss would be producing this CD.

The first thing I noticed, obviously, is that Barker very capably adds an extra dimension to their sound. After hearing him with the Dixie Echoes, I expected nothing less. Testimony begins with Mosie Lister’s tried-and-true “How Long Has It Been” featuring simple piano/strings in the track and smooth vocal harmonies. Up next is “Ransomed And Redeemed,” a mid-tempo track written by Daryl Williams with a stock quartet style/arrangement that borrows some lines from the classic “I’m Redeemed By Love Divine.”

“It’s Almost Over” is a big ballad that follows the standard big ballad formula…a piano and some light strings start, Trammell begins to sing softly, more instruments are added and the arrangement gets bigger and bigger until they’re blowing you away five minutes later. “How Long Has It Been” had some nice harmonies at the beginning of the CD, but this is the first song to showcase an amazing vocal blend. This is because Trammell is singing lead. He knows just where to give a lyric that extra punch to make it thrill a listener. I’m not crazy about the overall arrangement on “It’s Almost Over,” though. It builds up to a point, hits a plateau and then diverts into a completely unnecessary line of “Going Home.” The closing notes are very, very nice, though.

The title track features lead singer Dustin Sweatman. This up-tempo song has a 1990s Gold City feel with the brass section punctuating the chorus. The Jay Parrack/Wilburn/Mark Trammell/Tim Riley line-up of Gold City would have been amazing on this one, but the Joel Wood/Dustin Sweatman/Mark Trammell/Pat Barker version is very good, too. “God Knows How Much Mercy I Need” is a 3/4, medium paced feature for Trammell that was written by the talented Dianne Wilkinson. It’s my favorite cut on the CD. Barker takes the lead for Big Chief’s “I Want To Know.” This begins with a more restrained tempo than you’re used to hearing and a very simple accompaniment. The simpler beginning sets the stage midway in the song for a shift to full New Orleans Dixieland mode, creating a nice contrast.

A medley featuring familiar songs about Calvary is followed by a new Dustin Sweatman song titled “One Drop Of Blood” featuring Pat Barker and Sweatman on the verses. The CD closes with two more Dianne Wilkinson songs titled “When Jesus Comes” and “I Believe, I Believe, I Believe.” The former could have benefited from a more expressive/dynamic delivery on the verses, but the latter is a refreshing, fun track that is reminiscent of the similar but shorter titled song Glen Payne recorded with Greater Vision (“I Believe”).

The Mark Trammell Quartet’s “debut” (they actually released a table project before Testimony) is very, very good, but it could have been even better. There are some excellent moments vocally, the song selection is very good overall, and the tracks are up to Lari Goss’ expected standards. The group sounds like four individual singers at times, though. This is because Trammell opts not to put himself in the lead role as often as he could. He scored big when he acquired his new bass singer, but there’s a noticeable difference in the way the sound gels whenever Trammell takes the melody. The two upper singers can sing parts effectively, sure, but they don’t match the dynamics or the interpretive enthusiasm of Trammell or Barker.

Testimony, as good as it is (and it’s very good), is still only hinting at this group’s potential.

Producer: Mike Wells
Label: Son Of Jesse Records

Website: www.luluroman.net

Song Titles: “Train Bound For Glory,” “Do You Know How To Fly,” “When I Don’t Call Your Name,” “The Old Church Home,” “Move Upon Us Holy Spirit,” “Farther Along,” “Seven Times,” “Mercy Of Who You Are,” “Let Your Glory Fall,” “Amen”

Seven Times is more about the producer than it is about the singer. Mike Wells produced, engineered, and wrote/co-wrote seven of the ten selections on Seven Times. He also sings a duet with Lulu Roman on his song “Mercy Of Who You Are.”

Wells’ music tracks are sound. They’re not sensational in a Lari Goss sense of the word, but they’re very good overall. The mix is clean…not overly drenched in reverb or other effects like so many projects you hear these days and not too compressed. Wells tosses in a couple of saxophone solos, too, which is fine with me. Most music arrangers have moved away from using instrument solos mid-song. Wells’ songwriting is more of a hit-or-miss situation, though, and his singing is just so-so. His breathy vocals are a poor match for Roman’s more substantial tones.

The CD is rounded out by a Dottie Rambo song titled “Move Upon Us Holy Spirit,” the hymn “Farther Along,” and the black gospel chorus “Amen.” These three songs redeem the CD to a certain extent. I am particularly impressed by the way Roman presents Rambo’s worshipful lyric. “Amen” is more of a chorus/instrumental feature. Roman does very little singing out front on this arrangement.

Despite the baggage of having first been introduced to the world as a sketch comedian on the corny television show Hee Haw, Lulu Roman is fundamentally a very good singer. It’s too bad she wasn’t paired with more songs that fit her strengths as a singer on Seven Times. Thankfully, there’s enough good stuff here to make it worthwhile overall.

Producers: Danny Crawford and Ben Stewart

Website: www.kingdomboundquartet.com

Song Titles: “The News Is Out,” “A Love That Wouldn’t Die,” “Call Jesus,” “That Wonderful Day,” “What On Earth For,” “One Of These Days,” “I Love Living In Grace,” “The Night That Love Was Born,” “Seek And Save,” “That Sounds Like Forgiveness To Me,” “Save In The Cross Of Jesus,” and “What A Precious Friend Is He”

I was not familiar with Kingdom Bound Quartet prior to receiving their CD. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much when I saw the mediocre cover and art design, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that Call Jesus is a very good sounding project. The group is based in a town called Jena, Louisiana and they’ve been singing (with some membership changes) for ten years. This product includes country influenced ballads and driving songs as well as a couple of songs that could be gathered under the convention style umbrella.

Often, it’s the slow songs on a CD that have a stereotypical orchestrated sound and dilute whatever unique qualities a group may have established on their more energetic songs.  Not so, here. The ballads on Call Jesus maintain and embellish the overall character. The title track does feature some light strings, but the vocal delivery is compatible with the country style of some of the more upbeat songs. “What On Earth For” begins with an acoustic guitar, then adds more instruments. “The Night That Love Was Born” mixes in some dobro and other guitars to give this Christmas song a nice touch. Of all the ballads, the instrumentation on “Save In The Cross Of Jesus” is the most stereotypical, but even here we get an electric guitar solo to provide some contrast.

Henry Slaughter’s “What A Precious Friend Is He” is another slow song, but it’s in a different class. Kingdom Bound Quartet wisely chooses not to copy the popular version by the Weatherfords too closely. Instead, this track features a rich cello on the bottom end mixed with more strings and a piano.

Tracks that have an extra dose of attitude on Call Jesus include “The News Is Out” (recorded previously by the Anchormen) and “A Love That Wouldn’t Die” (which appeared on one of Integrity, now Triumphant, Quartet’s first CDs). “One Of These Days” features bass singer Chad James pushing the limits of his range. “Seek And Save” adds a banjo to the mix for a slightly different flavor. It’s not a bluegrass arrangement at all, but the banjo adds a character to the mix that provides a contrast to the other upbeat tracks on Call Jesus. “That Sounds Like Forgiveness To Me” is one of those 3/4-meter songs that used to be a staple of groups in the 1980s and 1990s. Dianne Wilkinson wrote it, so you know it’s good. Call Jesus also includes a modern convention song in “That Wonderful Day” (recorded previously by Soul’d Out) and a Texas swing style song called “I Love Living In Grace” (recorded earlier by Tribute Quartet and Liberty Quartets).

Some sections feel a little stiff in the vocal department and a few notes sound forced. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this recording. The song selection is excellent. Of course, several of these songs have been recorded previously as I mentioned in the review, but even those aren’t from the standard slate of classics. As far as my personal taste in music is concerned, I’d like to hear these guys loosen up and be more expressive on future CDs. What they’re doing now is good, though. At least they’re not over-singing. It’s a lot easier to slowly learn to add more expression as experience comes than it is to dial it back.

If last year’s recording of GVB cover songs was titled Reunited, then the newest offering from the Vocal Band could easily be called Reinvented. The first project to fully capitalize on the new five-member lineup is definitely a departure for the group, although in a way, it’s also like a return.

Until the arrival of Guy Penrod in 1995, the Gaither Vocal Band was primarily an “inspirational” group, consistently blurring the lines between genres, partly due to its eclectic vocal lineup. It wasn’t until 1991′s Homecoming album (and even moreso, their 1993 release, Southern Classics) that the SG world really began to view the GVB as one of their own. Once Penrod came onto the scene, the group pretty much became straight-ahead southern gospel, setting the standard that many others would follow both in style and in quality.

It’s perhaps due to this that Greatly Blessed feels like it has come out of left field, stylistically; with the return of David Phelps, Mark Lowry, and most noticeably, Michael English, the now-quintet has moved back toward their more inspirational stylings, which may leave fans of the Penrod era a bit confused, although early listeners will feel a bit more at home.

The very first thing that stood out to me about this album is how busy it is vocally. Taking full advantage of the five voices (and admittedly, some stacking as well), the arrangements here are layered with counter melodies and background lines. At times, it felt a bit overdone, but overall, it seems to work. As a result however, the standard quartet sound is all but abandoned; the standard harmony arrangement appears to be English in the middle with Phelps and Wes Hampton stacking above, while Lowry and Gaither fill the bottom; true bass lines are few and far between. As DBM mentioned, there are a lot of 7th chords (major and minor) in the mix, as well.

The song selection is also a bit unique for the Vocal Band; not since 1994′s Testify album (a personal favorite, and also the last one to be co-produced by Michael English until now*) has the group relied so heavily on writers OTHER than Bill and Gloria; in fact, this is the first time in a LONG while that Gloria doesn’t have a single writer’s credit. Instead, Gaither baby, Benjy, submits several titles, and they also take their stab at quite a few covers (such as “When He Blessed Blest My Soul,” the Don Francisco hit “He’s Alive,” and the Kirk Talley composition, “He Is Here”).  Of the originals, I’d have to say that “Muddy Water” is a personal favorite, and for the covers, I am partial to “Please Forgive Me,” which English sings with great conviction. The modulation also shows off the vocal stacking quite well….

From a production standpoint, Phelps and English shared credit with Gaither, and it shows; the uptempo songs are very peppy and have a touch of blues (i.e. “Muddy Water,” “Ain’t Nobody”), and the ballads are full of complex harmonies (and in the instance of “You Are My All In All,” includes a purely classical instrumental of Pachelbel’s “Canon in D”). My only complaint would be the over-compression, a personal pet peeve. To be fair, most people probably won’t even detect it, or will simply view it as being recorded at maximum volume, so again, my nit-pickyness has kicked in.

It is my understanding that the title track, “Greatly Blessed, Highly Favored,” is the lead-off single, which I think is a smart move; Wes Hampton gets the solos, keeping the bridge from the previous lineup intact, and the track is probably the most SG-oriented, stylistically (not surprising, given the reported re-write of a major country hit). I would be tempted to follow it up with “I Know How To Say Thank You,” a great ballad featuring Mark Lowry at his best.

This album has been MUCH anticipated, and I think the Gaither Vocal Band more than delivers.

*For those who can’t wait to catch me in a mistake, I know that Mike English co-produced “Bread On The Water” on the Give It Away album; I was referring to an entire album’s worth of material.

Producer: Jeff Collins
Label: Horizon Records

Website: www.theinspirations.com

Song Titles: “I’m Saved,” “Kneel At The Cross,” “The Sunrise Side,” “Heaven By And By,” “The More I Think About Heaven,” “River Of Mercy,” “I’ve Never Known A Day,” “That’s Why I Call It Home,” “When God Dips His Love In My Heart,” and “The Redeemed”

Summary: It may be unpopular to write this where longtime fans are bound to be reading, but to my ears, this lineup is the group’s best one ever. David Ragan’s commanding lead vocals and Hosterman’s input have transformed the Inspirations to a group that’s more pleasing and exciting to hear.

Look for the full review in an upcoming issue of Singing News. Click HERE to subscribe.

Producer: Michael Sykes
Label: Daywind Records

Website: www.aaronandamandacrabb.com

Song Titles: “The Name Of Jesus,” “God’s Unchanging Hand,” “You Never Know,” “King Of Glory,” “Love So Amazing,” “Healer,” “You Gotta Move,” “Bless Your Name,” “Love With No End” and “King Of Who I Am”

Summary: Love With No End blends modern worship music with classic favorites and new material. Most Southern Gospel fans will perk up for “Hold To God’s Unchanging Hand” while some should recognize “The King Of Who I Am.”

Look for the full review in an upcoming issue of Singing News. Click HERE to subscribe.

Website: www.gaither.com

Song Titles: “Better Day,” “When He Blest My Soul,” “Love Like I’m Leavin’,” “You Are My All In All,” “Please Forgive Me,” “Greatly Blessed, Highly Favored,” “He’s Alive,” “Ain’t Nobody,” “Clean,” “Muddy Water,” “That Sounds Like Home To Me,” “I Know How To Say Thank You,” and “He Is Here”

Ordinarily when I write a review for Singing News, I post a couple of sentences here on the website as a teaser. This month, I decided to do something extra and exclusive for you blog readers. Because I have lots of room here, and little room (just 300 words) in my Singing News article, I’ve examined one track in much greater depth. I hope you get a good feel for the song. It’s one of my favorites on the new GVB CD.

The classic “When He Blest My Soul” (Cleavant Derricks) caught my attention right away with a kicking piano intro. More instruments join the piano on the second pass, then it settles into a mid-tempo groove. The GVB exploits their five-man vocal configuration from the outset of the first verse. Every tonic chord has a seventh. For you non-musicians, this means the top four parts are singing unique pitches, giving the vocal mix a thick, rich quality.

Bill Gaither takes the melody at the first chorus. The others complete his lines in harmony, still adding a seventh to each tonic chord. Michael English is in excellent form when he solos the second verse, taking the final lines up and away. The next chorus is similar to the first, but Gaither alters his delivery for contrast. The third chorus steps up the key and shifts to a back-beat snare rhythm. David Phelps is panned to the left of the stereo mix, Gaither and Wes Hampton are panned right, and English and Mark Lowry fill the center. Phelps leads with “Well you oughta been there,” Gaither has “When the love,” and Hampton sings “into my soul.” They continue this cycle through two choruses, then the piano drives an instrumental tag home with a flourish for the final touch.

The ability to pull off this sort of subtle, complex arrangement is what makes the GVB unique in our genre of music. That’s just one song. There are twelve more cuts on Greatly Blessed, and the vast majority are just as skillfully arranged and delivered.

Look for the full review in an upcoming issue of Singing News. Click HERE to subscribe.

EDITED TO ADD: If you just can’t wait to hear the CD, visit Nate Stainbrook’s blog. He has posted a link to a four song sampler.

1. Friction Monster – self-titled
This wasn’t quite as weird as I thought it might be, judging from the cover. It’s still pretty bad, though. This group combines a guitar driven garage band sound with a lead singer who always sounds like he’s in pain or really upset about something. The sad bit is that he actually has an expressive tone and a good vocal range. It’s too bad he isn’t using his ability for a more satisfying purpose. 2 Stars

2. Ziggiville – self-titled
This arrived in a clear plastic sleeve with no case or artwork. I don’t review incomplete submissions. Click HERE for CD submission guidelines.
(To be honest, I did listen to a couple of tracks. Guess what? It’s NOT TOO GOOD!)

3. Berea – After The Fall
Berea’s CD actually is a Gospel recording, but I included it here since it’s well outside the realm of Southern Gospel. The band’s three members have a diverse background. Brad Davis has played for artists ranging from Marty Stuart and Earl Scruggs to Billy Bob Thornton’s rock band, while Sandi and Scott Mitchell pull double duty in a jazz group called From The Heart. Some tracks are more successful than others. The moments when you can hear a little glimpse of Southern rock are pretty good. The production quality is uneven, though, and the singing sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. 2 1/2 Stars

2 Stars

If you’re into campy songs in a minor key, you need to check out the song “Thirsty” by timandannie. I’ll just leave it at that.

3 Stars

Redeemed is an independently produced CD covering nine well-known songs including Greater Vision’s “He Is To Me,” Legacy V’s “I Stand Redeemed,” Signature Sounds’ “Calvary Answers For Me,” and the Kingsmen’s “Glory Road.” I was unfamiliar with one song, so it may be new. The Joyful Hearts trio has a very good, even vocal blend. They approximate the original performances to good effect, but do very little to put their own stamp on any of these songs. Their music tracks are pretty good (though not 100% first-rate). In a few spots, the mix feels uneven. This group has some promising potential, though. The vocal talent is there. If they can afford to hire a creative dictator to sit in the producer’s chair next time around and secure some good original material, they might be label material.