Michael Sykes and Michael English did an incredible piece of work in 1995 when they produced Let's Have Church by J D Sumner and the Stamps for the Chapel record label (now known as Spring Hill). J D's latest project, Golden Stairs, reunites the Stamps with that same production team on a new record label called NuSong.
There are some good moments on Golden Stairs. The smooth harmonies on "The Sinner's Plea" are particularly nice. "Walk Dem Golden Stairs" is a catchy arrangement that's similar (but quicker) in style to the Gaither Vocal Band's version of "John The Revelator." I also enjoyed the way the writers of "So Close To Heaven" (Sykes, English, and C. Aaron Wilburn) blend the chorus with the words of the old negro spiritual, "Soon Ah Will Be Done." J D growls the words of the spiritual tune in counterpoint to the other three vocalists as they sing a new chorus. The obligatory recitation on Golden Stairs is "Let Us Break Bread Together."
The highlight of the album is when Michael English steps out of his producer role to sing a verse of "Sweetest Song I Know." This arrangement blends "convention-singing" vocals (where each vocalist sings a unique melody and words) and a boogie-woogie, bass guitar driven accompaniment. It was nice hearing 3/4ths of the Singing Americans' 1983 line-up reunited. If (current Stamps' lead singer) Ed Enoch ever retires .. . . one can dream!
This is a good album, but there are a few problems with the overall quality. The EQ is off. Or to use non-technical terms, the drums don't sizzle, the tenor doesn't ring, and J D doesn't rumble. Those things should have been fixed at the final mixing or mastering stage. There's one place on "Someday" where Ed Hill has a solo line that you can barely hear. There's a key change that is badly out of tune on "Thank God I Am Free."
Some of the top studio musicians in the industry play on this album, and there are some fresh, exciting arrangements of both new and old tunes. It doesn't appear to be a "low budget" recording. That's why I don't understand how these obvious errors could have been overlooked. If you don't own any J D Sumner albums, I'd recommend that you first try to find a copy of Let's Have Church (which is nearly perfect in quality). For better versions of the songs "The Sinner's Plea" and "Someday," get Revival, a 1992 release by the Statesmen. Golden Stairs is good enough to add to your collection; it's good enough to listen to and enjoy; it's just not quite as good as it should have been.