#1 Hits Live Crabb Family
by David Bruce Murray
Rating: 3 Stars
--- David Bruce Murray
Label: Daywind
Producers: Gerald and Kathy Crabb
Song Titles: "Brothers Forever," "Don't You Wanna Go?," "I Sure Miss You," "Jesus In A Song," "Not Even A Stone," "Please Come Down To Me," "Please Forgive Me," "That's No Mountain," "The Lamb, The Lion, And The King," "The Reason That I'm Standing," "Through The Fire," "Trail Of Tears," "Thank God For The Preacher," and "The Call"
It was difficult to put an accurate star rating on the new DVD by the Crabb Family. From a content and performance perspective, it's excellent. The production quality is not the greatest though. I've seen clearer footage shot on MiniDV cameras by average videographers. Granted, there's some interesting crane shots that sweep over the crowd, but if you expect the vivid colors and balanced saturation you see on a typical Gaither video, you might not care for this DVD. The packaging also leaves a bit to be desired. Track numbers for the songs are listed in alphabetical order on the case rather than the order in which the songs appear on the DVD . . . a major no-no. If you want to jump ahead to "Please Forgive Me," you and your remote are just on your own. On the other hand, if you aren't the type that notices or minds that sort of thing and you enjoy an energetic performance, you'll most likely love this DVD. In other words, don't let the 3 star rating fool you. In this case, it's clearly a balancing act between what would probably be a 4 or even 4 1/2 star rating for content/performance, but only a 2 at most for the footage and packaging quality.
There's not a great deal to say about the songs that hasn't already been said in the past. This is a GREAT selection of songs. As the title indicates, these are previously charted hits that either the Crabb Family or Mike Bowling has recorded. This particular performance took place on October 26, 2002 in Winston-Salem, NC. One neat feature is that between the songs, the group members share background information about the songs and other personal experiences. By the way, this project features the "new" line-up . . . in other words, the current touring format of just the kids without Gerald and Kathy.