Home Free
Integrity Quartet
Integrity Quartet's Home Free has so much going for it, I
think I'll share a sentence or two about each song.
"When The Lord Saved Me" has a great live feel. The guys cut loose
near the end and step the energy up an extra notch, just as you'd expect them
to do in a concert setting.
"Home Free" begins with a lush orchestra and you can literally
feel the cellos purring. David Sutton is featured on this inspirational
ballad with the Nashville String Machine doing what they do best.
We get to hear a little Lousiana fiddle on "Down Every Road." Some
nice Country guitar and piano licks complete the arrangement.
It's back to Sutton and the orchestra for "A Little Bit-O-Heaven,"
a mid-tempo jazz number. Producer/keyboardist Jeff Stice has a classy piano
solo in the middle of this tune.
Class and polish turn to chaos as "Terrible Time Down There"
explores the flip side of "Wonderful Time Up There" (aka "Gospel
Boogie"). This arrangement is over the top in a fun way . . . chords going
every direction at once, Eric Bennett singing the boogie bass line in a
minor key, and baritone Scott Inman doing his best Jake Hess
impersonation.
"If Not For The Love Of Christ" sounds like an Oak Ridge Boys song.
Oh yeah . . . it IS an ORB song (see From The Heart). It's a great
lyric, and Integrity puts their own fingerprint on it. Scott Inman wrote "Only The Strong Will Survive." This tune is the
first of three that have prominent brass featured in the accompaniment. By
"prominent," I mean blistering trumpets at the top of their range and
a squealing note holding over the final chord of the tune. "God's Been Very, Very Good To Me" is the second brassy number.
Sutton is featured on this tune. "An Old Story In A Brand New Song" gives contrast in the midst of
the brass tunes. It's relatively easy going, providing a showcase for an
expressive Eric Bennett solo on the first verse and a growing energy as the
song progresses. Stice takes center stage for an instrumental feature on "Joshua Fit The
Battle Of Jericho," an arrangement he has recorded previously. The extra
budget for the orchestra makes this new version more dynamic. Also, those hot
trumpets are back! "He's Worthy" is a mid-tempo praise lyric. The baroque trumpet is
a nice touch in the "Hallelujah Chorus" quotes near the end of this
song. "The First Time I Saw Love" is a touching solo by Eric Bennett
with strings for support. Again, you can hear the little nuances in the strings
that usually get swallowed in a mass of artificial reverb. Thank you for
keeping it real, Tommy Cooper (sound engineer and audio editor). Bennett
gets to demonstrate his flexible upper vocal range as this song reaches the
climax. It's a great reflective song to end an otherwise highly energetic
recording. If I seem impressed by this project, you're understanding exactly what I'm
trying to say. When December rolls around, I suspect I'll look back and call Home
Free my favorite quartet recording of the year. Anything can happen between
now and then of course, but the standard has been set high. Wow! Rating: 5 Stars --- by David Bruce Murray
Label: Daywind Records
Producers: Otis Forrest and Jeff Stice
Website: www.integrityquartet.com or www.daywindrecords.com
Song Titles: "When The Lord Saved Me," "Home Free,"
"Down Every Road," "A Little Bit-O-Heaven," "Terrible
Time Down There," "If Not For The Love Of Christ," "Only
The Strong Will Survive," "God's Been Very, Very Good To Me,"
"An Old Story In A Brand New Song," "Joshua Fit The Battle Of
Jericho," "He's Worthy," and "The First Time I Saw
Love"