CD Reviews
CD Review: Stronger Together (The Nelons)
When you think of the Nelons, you may think of great harmony and good songs. This CD will not disappoint.
One Little Word talks about the name of Jesus. It’s amazing how effective that one word is no matter how low you get.
Family Chain reminds us that, although we may lose loved ones on this earth, if they know Jesus, the separation is only temporary.
The highlight of the CD, for me, is Then Came the Morning. I love the song anyway but Amber Nelon Thompson does an awesome job on this classic.
Jason Clark sings Gate of Heaven.
Karen Peck Gooch joins Kelly Nelon Clark and the Nelons to sing You Can’t Make Old Friends.
I’m so glad someone finally brought back I Think I’ll Read it Again. I have loved that song ever since Gold City released it in the 1980s.
Other songs included are: In My Father’s House, The Awakening, and Angels Hover Near You.
CD Review: Classics Volume One (Blackwood Brothers Quartet)
The Blackwood Brothers have released yet another CD of classics. Songs include: I’d Rather Have Jesus, He Touched Me, If That Isn’t Love, Who Am I, The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power, Without Him, Sweet Beulah Land, What a Day That Will Be, The Eastern Gate, and The Love of God.
The CD was produced and arranged by Trey Ivey who also plays piano on the recording. Longtime Blackwood Brothers fans will still enjoy the group today.
CD Review: Signature Ballads (Brian Free)
Brian Free has been singing professionally since 1982. Although he is older than me, I feel like I have watched him grow up on stage. I was a huge Gold City fan in the 1980s and, when Brian left to form his own group, I continued to follow his music. Although Brian Free & Assurance are more progressive than even I prefer, their lyrics are very strong. This CD highlights twelve of those amazing songs on which Brian was featured.
Songs included are:
Unashamed; I Believe; He Still Saves; There’ll Come a Day; I Want to Be That Man; He Will Carry You; For God So Loved; Only God Knows; Die Another Day; Calvary’s Cry; Stand Among the Millions; and Never Walk Alone.
CD Review: Here For You (Tribute Quartet)
Earlier this year, I reviewed my favorite CD for 2016. The latest CD from Tribute Quartet may not be my very favorite, but it’s definitely up there.
Here For You is an uptempo song of encouragement. You can find love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, joy, faith, everything you need to make it through. All you need to do is join the family of God.
Another encouraging toe-tapper is Never Forsaken.
We all need reminders that this world is not our home, that these trials will not last forever, etc. Somebody Sing Me That Song.
Riley Harrison Clark blows the roof off with When the Prodigal Comes Home.
The tempo picks back up with Meeting in the Middle of the Air.
I’m so thankful that I serve the God of the Storms.
Everybody Come See Jesus is just a song about Jesus and how wonderful He is.
Anthony Davis is featured on That’s How I Know.
Grace at Its Best is still the cross. I love that!
Jesus Saves is an old song written by Connie Hopper and Geron Davis.
Nothing Stops the Savior’s Love–I needed to hear this today. “Fear may rule the day, but hope–it always finds a way to reach us where we are, to give us life that’s more than what we dreamed of.”
CD Review: Life is Good (The Hoppers)
My first CD review this year goes to my favorite CD of 2016. It caught my attention after hearing a few songs off of it. When I got the CD, I was not disappointed. I ordered a copy for a friend right away and, thankfully, he shared my sentiments. It was five years in the making for The Hoppers but definitely worth the wait.
I believe Jesus, the One was their first radio single. This was the only song I wasn’t really wild about when I first heard it but it’s grown on me.
Life is Good is my new pick-me-up when I’m having a rough day.
Connie sings the lead on Grace Will Get to You. No matter what you’ve done, God’s grace will find you.
“If He asks you to walk a mile with him, Walk Two. If He asks you to lend an ear to Him, listen the whole night through.” The world is full of people who will grudgingly do the bare minimum. God needs people willing to wholeheartedly go above and beyond the call of “duty.”
I love their arrangement of Brethren We Have Met to Worship. It will make you want to “have church.”
Another song I really like is If We Ever Gotta Look. I saw them do this in concert and loved it immediately. “If we ever gotta look at what’s waiting up there, we wouldn’t want to stay down here.”
The tempo slows down as Claude sings an old Rusty Goodman song: Until You’ve Known the Love of God.
Song of Moses is a song of hope. “All your battles, He won at Calvary. Shout the message of Moses’ song.” If you know the story of Moses, you will recall the stories of victory, hope when all seemed hopeless.
I’ve enjoyed seeing Dean & Kim’s daughter Karlye on stage with her family this year. She sings the lead on My Ransom.
The tempo picks back up for By and By.
Before the Sun Goes Down is the perfect ending for a thought-provoking CD. “Before I reach the end of day, I’ve got to know I’ve walked Your way.” A song to ponder as you listen carefully to the words.
CD Review: Glory to God in the Highest (The Kingdom Heirs)
The Kingdom Heirs have released a new Christmas CD. Although many of the songs will be familiar to all, they are sung with the Kingdom Heirs’ sound and style.
Beginning with Jesus is Born Today and Glory to God in the Highest, the tempo slows down for Mary, Did You Know.
New songs to me are Singing to the King, Christmas Cookies, and The Christmas Wish.
Other songs included are Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas; The King of Eternity; Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child; and an instrumental version of Santa Claus is Coming to Town.
CD Review: Undivided (Master’s Voice)
Master’s Voice is a southern gospel group based in Bristow, OK. In listening to their sound, I’ve been trying to think of who they remind me of. Maybe the old Journeymen Quartet or Old Paths.
I won’t go into detail on each song but will make special mention of the songs I especially like on this project:
How Long a Lifetime Is was written by Joseph Habedank and Rachel McCutcheon. “Never take today for granted. … Hold each loved one tightly and treat each moment as a gift. You never know how long a lifetime is.”
Here I Am Again: I’m so thankful I can go back to God each time I fail and, in His mercy, He extends forgiveness yet again.
Somebody is Me is an upbeat song that will bring a smile to your face and cause you to praise the Lord wherever you are.
Other songs include I Can Hardly Wait to Fly, Goodbye to Goodbye, Lord of Mercy, I Know What He Did for Me, This Same Jesus, Things God Doesn’t Know, Send Somebody, Ain’t it Good, and Everything the Blood Touches Lives.
CD Review: After All This Time (The Talleys)
With this CD, the Talleys are celebrating 20 years of ministry as Roger, Debra, and Lauren. Their harmony and their lyrics are as strong as always.
It’s fitting that the CD is titled After All This Time. Throughout the years, God has not stopped being faithful.
There is Coming a Day talks about that day that we all wait for. Keep looking up. Our redemption draws nigh.
There’s Never Been a Mountain is a song of encouragement, reminding us that God is still in control.
Debra Talley sings What is This Thing Called Grace?
If you have listened to the Talleys as long as I have, you’ll remember a song they recorded in the ’80s called simply Naaman. Well, they’ve brought it back for this CD. It’s a very different song but a good message. I love the line that says “Power comes from doing what God says.”
Lauren sings lead on Jesus’ Blood is Enough. You don’t need anything else but Jesus.
The tempo speeds up with My Hope is in the Lord.
But I Need You More is a song of worship, telling the Lord how much we need Him. Nothing compares to him.
The People in the Line is a reminder to not be so focused on ourselves that we fail to see the needs around us.
Somebody’s Story is a song about being slow to judge because you don’t always know somebody’s story.
Lauren is featured in the old song, Who But God.
The CD ends with a medley of I Love to Tell the Story and Blessed Assurance.
CD Review: Undivided (Master’s Voice)
I just became aware of Master’s Voice a couple months ago. Their CD is a mixture of OK lyrics to really good ones but the good ones are worth listening to. A variety of songwriters contributed to this CD but of special note are Joseph Habedank and Daryl Williams.
The songs I like are:
How Long a Lifetime Is – written by Joseph Habedank and Rachel McCutcheon. I often think of this concept. Life is so short. You never know when this will be the last time you see someone. Please don’t take today for granted.
Here I Am Again – How many times have you had to go to the Lord and ask forgiveness? Maybe for something you thought you had victory over but yet had reared its ugly head once again. I’m so thankful we serve a loving and merciful God!
Somebody is Me – an uptempo, toe-tapping song of testimony. I love it!
The tempo slows down for This Same Jesus, a song of reminder that this same Jesus that ascended up to Heaven will come back again.
Other songs included are:
I Can Hardly Wait to Fly, Goodbye to Goodbye, Lord of Mercy, I Know What He Did For Me, Things God Doesn’t Know, Send Somebody, Ain’t it Good, and Everything the Blood Touches Lives.
CD Review: My Tribute: The Classic Songs of Andrae Crouch (Paul Lancaster)
As a diehard Andrae Crouch fan, I am not the best person to review a CD of someone else singing his songs. In my opinion, Andrae does the best job in delivering his own songs; however, it does bless me when others honor his memory. That is exactly what Paul Lancaster did with his latest CD.
This CD features the classics, I’ve Got Confidence; The Blood Will Never Lose its Power; My Tribute; Soon and Very Soon; Through it All; Take Me Back; Jesus is the Answer; I Don’t Know Why Jesus Loved Me; Bless the Lord, Oh My Soul; and Let the Church Say Amen.
Although Mr. Lancaster’s voice is different than Mr. Crouch’s, the music and background singers are reminiscent of Andrae and the Disciples.
