Shout! Hymns
Various
Like other titles in the Shout! series, Shout! Hymns is a collection of songs by many of the top artists on the Spring Hill, Daywind, and Crossroads (Horizon/Sonlite/Parable) record labels. Unlike previous Shout! collections, this one includes only one disc and a total of 15 tracks rather than 30. As the title indicates, most of the tracks are hymn arrangements. Some of these tracks have been around for a few years. For example, Gold City 's version of "The Old Rugged Cross" is from their 1999 project Amazing Grace: A Hymn Collection. Also, the Kingsmen present a live version of "In The Garden" from their older project A Ton Of Fun Memories . There's a nice variety of styles in this collection. Jeff & Sheri Easter sing an uptempo bluegrass version of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." The Isaacs offer a contrasting mid-tempo bluegrass rendition of "Is This Not The Land Of Beulah?" Vestal Goodman is on hand for "What A Friend We Have In Jesus," and the McKameys work their way through "Nothing But The Blood." Buddy Greene's roots version of "Power In The Blood" has some uncredited help from the Whites (as seen in the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?) . The Martins provide "No, Not One!" from their self-titled recording. Two gems are saved for the end. Gordon Mote's solo piano version of "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder" is so amazingly good that I'm planning to seek out and order the CD from which the selection was taken as soon as I finish writing this review. It's called Piano Hymns: If You Could Hear What I See. I'm so glad the track was included even though Mote's name isn't as widely known as the other artists on this collection. The Oak Ridge Boys provide a classic finish for Shout! Hymns with one of the favorite hymns of all time, "Amazing Grace." Although Shout! Hymns does a fantastic job representing the scope and variety of the modern Southern Gospel scene, it's somewhat uneven in terms of production quality and song selection. I'm rating it at 4 Stars for that reason. Some performances are polished and/or memorable (particularly the Mote track), but a couple of tracks aren't very polished. At least three or four aren't particularly memorable. Also, I'm still scratching my head as to why a relatively recent Southern Gospel song like Greater Vision's "He Called Me Out" would be included on a collection of otherwise classic hymns. Even though it's a song I happen to like, it doesn't fit the concept implied in the project title. Minor issues aside, though, Shout! Hymns is a very good CD.
Label: Spring Hill
Website: www.springhillmusic.com
Song Titles: "The Old Rugged Cross" (Gold City), "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" (Jeff & Sheri Easter), "Is This Not The Land Of Beulah ? " (Isaacs), "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" (Vestal Goodman), "He Called Me Out" (Greater Vision), "In The Garden" (Kingsmen), "There Is Power In The Blood" (Buddy Greene), "Nothing But The Blood" (McKameys), "Blessed Assurance" (Brian Free & Assurance), "No, Not One!" (Martins), "The Love Of God" (Perrys), "I've Got That Old Time Religion" (Legacy Five), "I Am Thine, Oh Lord" (Talley Trio), "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder" (Gordon Mote), and "Amazing Grace" (Oak Ridge Boys)