David Bruce Murray
Dec 25, 2009
CD Review
CD Review: Driven Quartet
RATING: 5 Stars
Producers: Wesley Pritchard
Website: www.drivenqt.com
Song Titles: “Between The Rock And A Hard Place,” “I’m Pressing On,” “Let Me Live,” “Mercy Saw Me,” “Keep Drinking Water From The Well,” “Lost And Found,” “In God We Trust,” “We Are Your Symphony,” “I Can Feel My Mountains Move,” and “The Story Of My Life”
Driven Quartet’s self-titled CD is the best non-label release I’ve heard all year. The group sounds great from top to bottom, the tracks sound great, and they’ve chosen some terrific songs.
“Between The Rock And A Hard Place” is a driving track that hits you with all cylinders firing like a male quartet should. I like this song because the vocal arrangement develops as the song progresses. You aren’t hearing a copy of a previous chorus at the end of the song. The lyric is simple, effective and to the point: “I always find His grace and mercy, grace between a rock and a hard place.”
“I’m Pressing On” changes the mood considerably. It’s a ballad that slowly builds to a climactic moment before subsiding. The first half of “Let Me Live” is a 6/8 gospel crooner showcase for bass singer Will Lane. Midway, the arrangement transitions to a romp. Tenor Scott Penuel is featured on “Mercy Saw Me,” a classic balled beginning with piano and strings that builds to a big finish.
“Keep Drinking Water From The Well” returns to the style established by “Between The Rock And A Hard Place”…a big, full throttle quartet sound with a vocal arrangement that never gets stagnant. The lyrics are a bit lazy on this one, but otherwise, it’s a great song. “Lost And Found” dials the energy back a couple of notches, but still moves along at a fair clip. The third ballad on the CD is the most memorable. This is partly because you may have heard it before (it’s a remake of a Diamond Rio song), but also because it combines a stereotypical statement of faith formula with a patriotic message. Driven Quartet turns in a solid performance of “In God We Still Trust,” making their version unique by quoting the preamble to the US Constitution at the end of the song.
“We Are Your Symphony” is a Chris Binion lyric with a scope that ranges from the creation of the universe to a personal application for each believer’s heart. Musicians will appreciate Binion’s imagery. “I Can Feel My Mountains Move” reminds us one more time that Driven knows how to deliver a full bore, exciting quartet song. I’m not talking about smooth blend necessarily, though they can do that as well on songs like “The Story Of My Life.” I’m talking about a big brassy attitude. That’s the element that elevates Driven’s self-titled CD into the 5 Star category.
In closing, I’d also like to mention the mix. It isn’t perfect, and that’s a good thing. The vocals aren’t overly tweaked and polished. They’re pretty tight, but it sounds natural rather than robotic. Sometimes a phrase isn’t perfectly aligned, but that actually sounds better when it’s very close. The mix also captures important details. Will Lane’s vocal has the warmth of a fine cello on the choruses of “I’m Pressing On.” That’s due to the equalization, mic choice and placement as much is it’s due to Lane’s natural singing abilities. Some engineers might have buried his vocal in the mix, because that song doesn’t feature Lane. Wesley Pritchard (who engineered in addition to producing) left it strong so we could hear it and appreciate it.
UPDATE (1/1/10): I should have credited Rick Salyer for the mix/mastering rather than Pritchard who produced/engineered.
A re-written version of this review will appear in an upcoming issue of Singing News. Click HERE to subscribe.
