4 star
CD Review: It’s Wonderful (Primitive Quartet)
A year ago, I reviewed the He Lifted Me Out CD by the Primitive Quartet. I did not intentionally choose to review It’s Wonderful exactly one year later but it’s kinda neat it worked out that way.
“What a Time in Heaven” is an uptempo song with a similar tune to “Cane River Revival.” You can hear the banjo on this one.
Jeff sings the easy-listening “It’s Wonderful” which talks about the blessing of knowing God. It truly is wonderful just to know Him.
Reagan Riddle wrote and sings lead on “He’s the Same God” which is sung acapella. I love the last line: “He’s done everything that He said He would do but come back and get me, and He’ll do that too.”
Reagan also wrote the mid-tempo song, “He’s Holy.”
Mike Riddle sings, “I Don’t Have to See the Tomb” which is their current radio single. In my opinion, it was the perfect song for them to release as a single.
“He’s Coming, He’s Coming” talks about the Lord’s soon return.
Squire Parsons wrote, “I’m Longing for Home.”
They also included two patriotic songs on this recording, both of which were written by Reagan: “The Greatest Nation” and “American Soldier.”
This is a pretty typical Primitive Quartet recording but, for those who love the quartet as I do, you’ll enjoy this CD as well.
CD Review: Joy: An Irish Christmas (Keith & Kristyn Getty)
I realize this is not a southern gospel CD but, since I know southern gospel fans who like Keith & Kristyn Getty, I wanted to announce their brand new Christmas CD.
When I first saw it, I was curious, wondering if it would be full of new Christmas songs. Actually this is a combination of new songs, along with some old Christmas hymns with an Irish flair.
The arrangement of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is uptempo and one you can easily picture someone playing a fiddle and dancing around on.
“Hark the Herald Angels Sing” also starts with a lively tune. Then slows down slightly when Kristyn starts to sing.
“What Child is This” has more of a contemporary feel as well as an Irish feel. I’ve not heard a lot of Irish music so don’t know if that’s normal but they did a good job of merging the two.
Keith & Kristyn, along with Stuart Townsend wrote “Magnificat,” a song with a nice melody based on Luke 1 where Mary says “My soul does magnify the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”
Kristyn wrote, “How Suddenly a Baby Cries.” Keith wrote the music and a reel he included titled the “Narnian Reel.”
Next is another original tune, “Joy Has Dawned” incorporating at the end the chorus of “Angels We Have Heard on High.”
“Jesus, Joy of the Highest Heaven” is a nice Christmas ballad.
“O Savior of Our Fallen Race” goes beyond the fact that Christ came to remind us why He left the splendor of Heaven to come to earth.
“Fullness of Grace” tells of the grace God showed in sending His Son and how, because of that, we have hope.
“An Irish Christmas Blessing” is a typical Kristyn Getty ballad: a fitting end to an Irish Christmas CD.
Also included are “Carol of the Bells” and “Joy to the World.”
CD Review: Timeless: A Christmas Collection (The Crist Family)
The new Christmas recording from The Crist Family starts with a winter song, “Love Me Some Snow.” An uptempo, catchy arrangement, this will be a favorite among those who love snow.
Most everyone knows the song the Charlie Brown gang sang: “Christmas Time is Here.” The Crist family sings that song acapella. Other acapella arrangements on this project are “Jesu Parvule” and “In the Bleak Midwinter.”
“I Love Those Jingle Bells” is another fun, toe tapping winter song, using parts of the song, “Jingle Bells” and featuring sleigh bells ringing in the background. I’d love to know how much time it took to get the arrangement down but they do a good job.
I’d never heard “Pine Cones and Holly Berries” but I like their arrangement which intersperses “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.”
“I’ll be Home for Christmas” starts with the opening verse, then goes into an instrumental segment before they sing the rest of the song. Very beautiful.
The “Winter Wonderland Medley” includes “Winter Wonderland,” “Sleigh Ride,” and “White Christmas.” I enjoy listening to these winter songs around Christmastime.
Other songs included are “The Christmas Waltz,” “What are You Doing New Year’s Eve” and “Silent Night.”
CD Review: The Only Way (Greater Vision)
When I put in the newest release from Greater Vision, the first thing that jumped out at me was the quality of Rodney Griffin’s voice. I’ve been listening to him sing for years but he’s gotten even better.
“He Didn’t When He Could’ve Passed By” is my favorite kind of Greater Vision song: uptempo with a good message. Jesus didn’t have to stop and hear my cry but He did when He could’ve passed by.
“Safe Within His Hand” is moderate tempo and features Chris Allman.
When “No Longer Chained” begins, you think it’s going to be a slow song but then it picks up tempo and Rodney Griffin sings about a soldier who had been chained to the Apostle Paul and finds Christ because of the apostle’s testimony.
Chris Allman sings “I Know a Man Who Can” and totally nails it.
“He’s the Only Way” is a pretty typical song about Jesus being the only way to Heaven.
My favorite song on this project is “Like I Wish I Lived.” “May we use the pain behind us to walk in victory up ahead.” How powerful is that! “Lord, help me to live like I wish I lived in the past.” I could quote so much of the song but you get the point.
“But God” talks about how God is in control. He understands what we don’t, and He will give us strength if we but look to Him.
“We Still Have to Pray” reminds us that being in God’s will does not exempt us from trials.
“Eternity’s About to Begin” is another toe tapper.
When I heard “Heaven Can’t Be Far Away,” I knew I’d heard it before. I looked it up and, sure enough, it was previously recorded on Greater Vision’s The King Came Down recording. It’s a great song to bring back.
The CD concludes with “Another Child’s Coming Home”–another great song sung by Chris Allman.
CD Review: Great Big God (Paul’s Journey)
I’ve been hearing a lot about Paul’s Journey lately so I recently dug out their latest recording to see what the hype is about. My initial thought was how hard it is to classify the style of the CD as a whole. Each song has a different flavor from praise & worship to traditional to progressive. It has a little something for everyone.
The CD starts with a one-minute, 38-second prelude to the song “God is Great,” an uptempo praise and worship song. Next comes “Washed in the Blood.” The man who sings the first verse of this song reminds me of Mike Bowling. Ann Downing and Daryl Williams co-wrote “There’s Still a Cross,” which is a great song.
“Get Out of the Boat” is different musically. Not a new message but an interesting arrangement. “For Me” is a pretty ballad sung in a way that gets the message across that it was “for me” that Jesus died. “Walkin’ on the Edge” reminds you that no matter what you’re going through, your walls are coming down. “In the Waiting” is a song of encouragement to those who are praying and waiting for an answer. “I want a peace beyond my understanding.” How many can relate to that?
Other songs include “Great Big God,” “Call Upon the Name,” “In the Name of Jesus,” “Shelter,” and “He’s Alive.”
If you like quartets, you will enjoy this CD.
CD Review: Old Friends Get Together (Crowe-Lawson-Williams)
J. D. Crowe, Paul Williams and Doyle Lawson have teamed up to put together a top-notch bluegrass recording.
“Stormy Waters” is an example of my favorite kind of bluegrass–a song with various parts. The music’s choppy but sounds kinda cool. It’s a moderate tempo song but a great song which talks about how Jesus is near even in the midst of stormy waters.
“Pray the Clouds Away” is another song I like. They also do a bluegrass version of “This World is Not My Home.”
This CD was done as a tribute to Jimmy Martin who co-wrote “Voice of My Savior” and “Give Me Your Hand” (written with Paul Williams), a song which talks about how, no matter what church you attend, if you’re a Christian, you’re a Brother or Sister so “give me your hand.”
Other songs include “Prayer Bells of Heaven,” “Goodbye,” “The Little White Church,” “When the Savior Reached Down for Me,” “Lord, I’m Coming Home,” “Shake Hands With Mother Again,” and “Who’ll Sing for Me.”
Ben Isaacs sings bass on this CD. Background vocals are performed by Cia Cherryholmes and Sonya Isaacs.
CD Review: Jesus Gave Me a Song (Squire Parsons Trio)
This CD features ten more songs written by Squire Parsons and sung by Squire, his son Sam Parsons, and Greg Bentley.
“He Left the Light On” refers to the cross as a Light that is always shining, drawing people to Christ.
“We Shall Fight On” is an uptempo song, reminding Believers that we can’t rest now. It’s time to continue fighting the good fight.
Squire sings “Daddy I’m Fine” which talks about a child going to Heaven. If you’ve lost a child, you know the agony that brings but, if your child knows Christ, what a blessing to know you’ll see your child again.
“If You Will Give Your Heart to the Lord” has a sound that I can’t pin. It sounds old maybe. Very different musically.
Squire also sings “Heaven’s Rose.” You may remember Squire’s old song, “The Beautiful Rose.” They include a portion of that song for the bridge but most of this song talks about when Christ walked the earth as Heaven’s Rose.
I originally heard the Kingdom Heirs sing “Now I Am On My Way to Heaven” but it’s always fun hearing the songwriter sing his own song.
Sam sings “My God Sent an Angel” which tells us that, when we’re at our lowest, God will send an angel to provide the comfort and courage you need for the storm you’re going through.
I love “Is There a Crown for Me.” I love their harmony and, mixed with a great message, well, that’s why I love southern gospel music. 🙂
Other songs on this project are: “Jesus Gave Me a Song,” “I Am Still His Child,” “There Has Never Been a Man Like This Man,” and “I Know the One.”
CD Review: Grace Through Faith (Vertical Praise)
As this CD begins, you can understand the name. Vertical Praise truly sends praise up to the Father.
I’m not sure who to compare them to. They remind me a bit of Hope’s Call but they seem to have settled into a niche singing praise songs yet doing so in a southern gospel manner. One of my favorite songs on the project is a song Donna Beauvais wrote with Chris Binion: “That’s Just What Love Does.” I also like “Forgives and Forgets,” a beautiful song about God’s forgiveness.
“God is Faithful, “There’s Only One Well,” and “He’s a Sure Thing” are upbeat songs with a slightly progressive sound. Other songs include “That’s My King,” “When All You Have is Faith,” “No Doubt About It,” Let it Fall,” “Whatever it Takes,” and a peppy rendition of “When We All Get to Heaven.”
CD Review: Altogether Lovely (The Edwards Family)
I met Adam Edwards about four years ago but didn’t realize at the time that he was part of a singing group called The Edwards Family. Therefore, I was delighted a few months back when I received a CD from this family group. I’ve been hard pressed to know what category to put their music into. It’s quite a mix of bluegrass, traditional and yet some of their songs have a sound similar to the McKameys which I suppose would be considered traditional but a bit different. The group consists of Adam and Patricia Edwards, and Patricia’s mom Anna Scott.
One of my favorite songs on the project is “This One Thing I Know.” I’ve only heard the Primitive Quartet sing this song but the Edwards Family does a great job as well, incorporating a banjo in the break. They also sing the McKamey’s song “Altogether Lovely.” “Nothing Can Hold Me Here” is an old Mike Payne song which The Edwards gave a bluegrass sound to. Another song I like on the project is “I Can’t Quit.”
Other songs included are “I’ll Live Again,” “You Are Never Alone,” “I Can Trust Jesus,” “The Blood of Jesus,” “Something to Shout About,” “Behold His Coming, “Wall of Prayer,” and “For God So Loved the World.”
If you like southern gospel music, you should also check out Adam’s blog, Southern Gospel Critique.
CD Review: Angels in the Room (The Bradford Trio)
The Bradford Trio is an acapella group consisting of two sisters and their cousin. Need I say more? 🙂 Tight family harmony singing hymns and other favorites pretty much sums up this recording.
The CD begins with the uptempo “The Lord is My Rock.” My personal favorite is “Safe in Your Fold.” Very beautiful. “Wings of Joy” is next, followed by “Angels in the Room,” “Whispering Hope,” “I Go to the Rock,” “He Will Carry You,” (I love their rendition of this song except they dragged out the chorus a bit too long; other than that, it’s beautiful) “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “Just Sing It,” and “Amazing Grace.”
