David Bruce Murray
Dec 13, 2009
CD Review
CD Review: Southern Heritage-Keep Walking
RATING: 2 1/2 Stars
Producer: David Staton and Gus Gaches
Label: Garden Creek Records
Song Titles: “Silver And Gold,” “Nothing Can Hold Me Here,” “In His Presence,” “Angels Watching Over Me,” “Child, Child,” “I May Be In This World,” “Sound Of Heaven,” “Keep Walking,” “Oh, Buddah” (sic), “Dark Calvary,” “I Don’t Judge You Neighbor,” “Now Is The Time,” and “They Tore The Old Country Church Down”
If you take vocals from the bluegrass tradition and put them with basic three chord arrangements, you get a style many people refer to as “mountain gospel.” It isn’t really bluegrass due to the instrumentation, though some bluegrass instruments are usually in the mix. Vocal tones are pinched and dialects are too stereotypical for it to be described as Southern Gospel in a general sense, though it’s certainly a sub-genre.
Southern Heritage has done a decent job matching songs to their strengths. Think of them as McKameys-Lite. You’ve probably heard several of these songs in other contexts. I thought “Keep Walking” might be Eva Mae LeFevre’s signature song that also appears on the Mark Lowry CD I reviewed yesterday, but it’s actually a different song. “Silver And Gold” has been recorded by the Inspirations, Florida Boys, and others. “Child, Child” is a Kingsmen classic that, if memory is serving me correctly, featured Wayne Maynard on their Live At The University Of Alabama album back in the 1980s. “Oh Buddah,” despite the incorrect spelling of Buddha, is the same song sung by the Imperials. Southern Heritage’s version has to be the worst I’ve heard. There’s a walking bass guitar line, an electric guitar and piano alternating with generic fills, and an uninspired lead vocal. I’d have rated this CD at 3 Stars if they’d just left this song off.
I mentioned the worst song on Keep Walking, so in closing, I’ll also point out the best one and try to describe why it’s better than some of the other cuts. “Sound Of Heaven” is set in a minor key with a chord pattern similar to “Wayfaring Stranger.” The minor key suits the mournful tone of the singer. I’d have enjoyed it even more if it had been set at a slower tempo. This type of song is best if it’s not locked into an unchanging tempo. That aside, it’s a good song, a pretty good arrangement, and I enjoyed the vocal performance too.
