David Bruce Murray
Mar 19, 2009
CD Review
CD Review: Triumphant Quartet (Everyday)
RATING: 4 Stars
Website: www.triumphantquartet.com
Label: Daywind Records
Producer: Wayne Haun
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Song Titles: “Jesus Built This Church On Love,” “Everyday,” “Somebody Died For Me,” “Amazed At The Change,” “Do You Know That You Know,” “When The Trumpet Sounds,” “One Drop Of Blood,” “God’s Home,” “What A Wonderful Day,” and “The Day Of The Lord”
Everyday begins with a couple of familiar songs. Joel Hemphill’s classic “Jesus Built This Church On Love” has a B-3 organ and gospel choir treatment. David Sutton is featured on the melody. The lyric of the album’s title track focuses on being nice to people. Fans of the Oak Ridge Boys should remember this song. Triumphant’s version features updated instrumentation with a vocal arrangement similar to the original.
“Somebody Died For Me” is the first ballad and the most original lyric on the CD. The songwriters for this song are Christy Sutherland and Kyle Matthews. The first verse tells of a soldier going to Iraq and coming home with a changed attitude because of a fellow soldier’s sacrifice. In the second verse, the soldier attends the fallen hero’s funeral and remarks that the way he died was no surprise. The hero had always testified of his faith in Jesus.
The next three songs feature relatively simple hooks. “Amazed At The Change” moves at a medium clip with mandolin and acoustic guitar fills. “Do You Know That You Know” is yet another lyric that fills up the required space by repeating the same phrase. The latest Mark Trammell Trio and Greater Vision CDs feature songs with nearly identical hooks. Is there no oversight on song selection at Daywind to avoid this sort of redundancy? It’s still a pretty good song idea…just interesting that three writers had the same idea around the same time. The Southern Brothers recorded a similar song several years ago. “When The Trumpet Sounds” starts with just drums for accompaniment and builds intensity by adding instruments to the mix as the song progresses. A few obligatory trumpets show up for the final chorus.
Eric Bennett is featured on “One Drop Of Blood,” a slow song about Christ’s sacrifice on the cross that thematically balances “Somebody Died For Me.” The earlier song is staged with modern examples, while this song is set 2000 years in the past. Both point to the timeless example of the cross. I’d love to see more CDs that pair a couple of songs that are similar in message and style, but with contrasting settings. “God’s Home” borrows a few lines from “Workin’ On A Building” and features an extended harmonica solo. How much you enjoy this song may hinge on your tolerance for the opening line of the chorus: “God don’t (sic) come in the building.” In the South, many of us don’t mind the occasional phrase with an improper verb, but most English teachers will likely cringe when they hear it. “What A Wonderful Day” rolls the calendar back a few decades for a vintage quality that quartet purists should enjoy. This song was originally recorded by the Prophets Quartet in 1965. “The Day Of Our Lord” makes use of a few phrases from “The King Is Coming” on the way to a dramatic finish.
“Somebody Died For Me” is the lone lyric that is both new and notably unique on Everyday. The group chose not to include a catchy novelty song in the vein of “The Old White Flag” or “Hey Jonah” or “Terrible Time Down There” this time around. Strong tracks and compelling vocal arrangements are the highlights of Everyday. Of course, Triumphant’s longevity without any membership changes since their formation over seven years ago is always worth mentioning. This consistency has given their sound a familiar, indentifiable quality, despite the fact that they’ve performed a relatively diverse variety of musical styles over the years.
