Dave's Review

Label: Total Living Network
Producer: Cindy Montano
Website: www.morethanthemusic.net and www.tln.com

David Bruce Murray: For this review, I'm joined by my fellow Sogospelnews.com staff writer, James Hales in what we're calling a sort of "conversation review." We're discussing the new video release in the More Than The Music...Life Story series. This is a bio-pic/documentary with half of the project devoted to the history of noted singer/songwriter Dottie Rambo and half retelling the story of the legendary LeFevres. I reviewed the first title in this series several months ago (www.musicscribe.com/rev74.html), which gave a similar treatment to the Happy Goodmans and the Blackwood Brothers. I remember being particularly impressed by several aspects of that production. These included a close attention to historical details, excellent production value, the use of actors in brief re-enactments of events significant to each group, and an honest presentation of several key low points along the way. James, would you say this second release shares some of the same four traits?

James Hales: Yes I would David, but I would say this set of biographies show a bit more heart and emotion than the last set. One would never believe what all Dottie has been through unless they heard her tell it. Some of it is downright heart wrenching. The Rambo portion deals a lot with the Rambos as a music group, but it deals mostly with the very blunt struggles of Dottie and Buck's marriage and eventual divorce, Dottie's failed suicide attempt, the struggles of life on the road, etc. The LeFevres portion deals with the obstacles Eva Mae faced raising a family on the road, the backlash from their church denomination because Eva Mae started wearing makeup, cutting her hair, etc. and also deals quite a bit with Mylon's rebellion against God and his family and his years of rock and roll, drugs and alcohol. The re-enactments are very intriguing on these videos. One that struck me as funny was the re-enactment of Urias LeFevre punching out the soundman at a church where they were singing. The vintage footage of the Rambos and LeFevres singing are priceless as well as the many vintage photos that are shown. One discrepancy I found was in the Rambo footage where they mentioned the Rambos singing overseas for Bob Hope and the troops at the end of the Vietnam War. They said it was 1975, but the photo shown was clearly from the 1960's.

DM: Yes, I noticed quite a few of the photos were used out of order, often showing an older photo than the event being described. Quite a few were used more than once as well. The re-enactment scenes you mentioned do add to the historical value of these videos. The shots are pretty simplistic and the acting isn't exactly Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan quality, but it's enough to get the point across for the purposes of the documentary. What did you think of the interviews? Overall, I thought they covered most of the bases. I couldn't help but think it would have been nice to hear Buck Rambo's side of the story, though.

JH: I thought the interviews were very good and were very in-depth and informative. I would have liked to have seen some interviews with Kelly Nelon and Janet Paschal, who were a part of the LeFevres in the later years before the name change. I am sure both ladies could have shared some excellent insights into Eva Mae and the later years of the LeFevres. One thing that I noticed that was not really mentioned was the LeFevres popular "Sing" record label from the 1960's or their successful recording facilities. I was happy though to see the late Keith Thornton mentioned, as he spent much of the late 80s and early 90s touring with Eva Mae. I do agree with you David that some sort of interview clip with Buck would have been nice, but considering the circumstances, I understand why he was left out. But, it still would have been interesting to hear his take on things. It is very obvious though, from hearing comments from Gary Chapman, Vestal Goodman and others, that the name 'Buck Rambo' leaves a very bad taste in their mouths.

DM: I'd have to say the honesty that comes through on these videos is the most appealing aspect. So many heroes are presented with all their flaws removed by the media. It's refreshing to be reminded through this video series that heroes experience many of the same struggles we all face, sometimes to a greater degree due to the nature of their popularity. At the same time, these videos don't dwell on those issues completely. There's a good balance between the high and low points of each artist's life story. In conclusion, I'm going to give this double video a rating of 4 stars. Since I made the first comments in this review, I'll let James have the final words.

JH: Like you said David, these videos are very honest and that is what makes them extremely fascinating. These videos point out the many high points of their respective careers, but it also brings these "stars" of gospel music down on the level that a lot of people can relate to. They show the highs but they also openly show the lows and in the midst of those lows, we see how they were forced to rely completely upon the God that they sang and wrote about. Through their deepest and darkest valleys, they found out that God really was who He said He was; peace in the midst of their storms, a deliverer from the pits of their despair and a healer of their broken hearts. I have been extremely pleased with this new series of biographical documentaries and hope to see many more of them. I give it 5 stars.

Averaged Rating: 4 1/2 Stars

--- David Bruce Murray and James Hales