| Length: | 48:33 |
|---|---|
| Producers: | Bill Gaither, Michael Sykes, and Guy Penrod |
| Cuts: | God Is Good |
| I Heard It First On The Radio | |
| Whenever We Agree Together | |
| Child You're Forgiven (Forgiven And Free) | |
| Good News | |
| Let Freedom Ring | |
| He Came Down To My Level | |
| Hallelujah (Satisfies) | |
| Mercy | |
| He Touched Me | |
| Jesse Taylor | |
| Star Spangled Banner |
Nearly a decade ago, Bill Gaither was ready to do one last album with The Gaither Vocal Band and call it quits. They and The Imperials were the two top four part male quartets on the Contemporary Christian scene at that time. Between them, they provided the training ground for the solo careers of people like Larnelle Harris and Russ Taff in the 80s and would do the same for Michael English and Jonathan Pierce in the 90s. Some like Pierce, Gary McSpadden, and Jim Murray actually pulled a stint in BOTH groups. In 1990, The Gaither Vocal Band was still enjoying it's share of success, but contemporary musical tastes were beginning to move away from vocal harmony, and Bill Gaither was getting tired of being on the road. He decided to have the Vocal Band do a Southern Gospel album with some of the legends of that genre. He brought a video camera to the event so he could relive those moments with his heroes later in his living room. The rest is history. Riding on the coat tails of the most successful video series in history, secular or otherwise, The Gaither Vocal Band has blossomed, becoming the top selling and award winning group ever to sing Southern Gospel music.
Their new for 1999 release God Is Good offers 12 studio tracks. The track listing may cause it to appear as any other recent GVB recording: some new songs, some old ones revamped, and one Gaither classic. There are some variances however. Some arrangements drift back toward contemporary ("Good News," "Mercy") while others have more of a Black Gospel feel ("Child You're Forgiven"). This is not a strictly Southern Gospel recording, although Southern Gospel is plentiful. "He Came Down To My Level" and the title cut each have that driving force that has previously given them success on tunes like "Singing With The Saints." Slower reflective numbers in the vein of last year's number one "Yes I Know" include "I Heard It First On The Radio" and "Hallelujah (Satisfies)." "He Touched Me" is in the classic arrangement various Gaither and other groups have used for years.
Two tunes from God Is Good have already been appearing in GVB concerts for several months. "Jesse Taylor" was a popular tune on mainstream Country radio stations a number of years ago. This version has lost a little of the energy of their live performances, but is still an excellent rendition. The close harmonies of their a capella version of "The Star Spangled Banner" are very nice, bringing a patriotic close to the album and off-setting another moving patriotic anthem that comes midway thru the album "Let Freedom Ring."
1997's Lovin' God and Lovin' Each Other sold over 200,000 units, contained the number one Southern Gospel song for 1998, and garnered several Doves and other accolades. God is Good follows a similar, though more diverse, game plan and should be another winner for The Gaither Vocal Band. It has singles with hit potential in Inspirational, Southern Gospel and Adult Contemporary markets.