Smack Down!! – “In The Name Of Jesus”

This week’s smack down feature highlights a nice up tempo Southern Gospel song penned by Mike Sage.  ”In The Name Of Jesus” was recorded by Karen Peck & New River on their 1997 recording Makin’ A Difference.  David White is featured on the verses to KPNR’s version.

Listen to Karen Peck & New River take the first verse and chorus of “In The Name Of Jesus”.

In 2010, Paul’s Journey decided to cover the song on their Great Big God recording.  Paul’s Journey created some buzz after their appearance at the 2011 National Quartet Convention performing “This Is Just What Heaven Means To Me”.  This is a perfect quartet song allowing each member to shine on respective verses.

Listen to Paul’s Journey take the second verse and chorus.  Enjoy!

Ten On Ten – Legacy Five

This week’s ten on ten feature takes a look at the recording career of Legacy Five.  Born out of the retirement of the Cathedrals, Roger Bennett and Scott Fowler formed Legacy Five and began touring in 2000.  Including custom recordings, the group has just over 15 albums in their discography in their 12 year career.

One of Southern Gospel’s greatest personalities, Roger Bennett, left us way too early.  His hand can definitely be seen on the group’s early recordings.  So, what are Legacy Five’s best albums.

Legacy Five’s top ten albums are as follows:

1. London (2003)
2. Live In Music City (2006)
3. Monuments (2004)
4. Heroes Of The Faith (2001)
5. Know So Salvation (2007)
6. Strong In The Strength (1999)
7. God’s Been Good (2008)
8. Give The World A Smile (2010)
9. Just Stand (2009)
10. A Wonderful Life (2011)

• Crowning the #1 album in Legacy Five’s discography was easy.  London is by far the best album Legacy Five has recorded.  Song selection, production, arrangements make this a complete record from start to finish.
• “He Forgets”, “Holy Is Thy Name”, “Home Free”, “I Found Grace”, “It’s Good To Know”, “Joy”, “Mercy Extended” and “Storms I Never See” all highlight this recording.  ”I Found Grace” is still one of the greatest songs Legacy Five has recorded in their career.
• Live In Music City ranks #2 among the group’s best albums.  Not only does the album have some great material, but it is special in that it is the last Legacy Five album to feature Roger Bennett.  ”The Blood Covers It All”, “But God”, “I’ve Been Changed”, “Jesus Will Never Change”, “Peace” and “Strike Up The Band” all anchor this recording.
• The 2004 release, Monuments, ranks #3 among Legacy Five’s best albums.  The album that followed up London did not fall flat as most albums do after a landmark album release.  Another one of Legacy Five’s greatest songs, “Out Of My Darkness”, was found on this album.
• Heroes Of The Faith ranks #4 among the group’s best albums.  The album has a country feel, more than any other recording in the group’s discography.  ”Freedom”, “Heroes Of The Faith”, “Somebody Sing”, “Sunshine Of Today” and “Walk With Me” all highlight this recording.
• The best post Roger Bennett era recording is the 2007 custom recording Know So Salvation.  This album ranks higher (#5) than all the major label albums the group has released since then.  There was a formula found on this particular album that the group hasn’t found since.
• The group also had a strong debut album in Strong In The Strength.  Ranked #6 among the group’s best albums, it showed the listener that Legacy Five was not going to be the Cathedrals 2.0.  It allowed the group to create their own identity from the start.
• The group has had consistent stability in three of the four vocal spots.  Scott Fowler, Scott Howard and Glenn Dustin have been with the group since day one.  The issue has been with the tenor vocal spot.  The group has had four tenor vocalists in their 12 year career.  That statistic, though, is consistent with Southern Gospel music as a whole.
• In their 12 year career, Legacy Five has that album that should be forgotten.  With all the custom recordings the group has done over the years, the 2006 Acappella album ranks lowest.  Groups still feel the need to record an entire acappella recording.  I guess there is a market for that somewhere.
• As with any group that still has more years ahead of them than behind, I look forward to see what Legacy Five has to offer the Southern Gospel listener in the future.  While their last several albums haven’t been stellar, I know the group has plenty of time to get out a few more landmark albums.

***NEXT UP ON TEN ON TEN:  SPEER FAMILY***

Song Hall Of Fame – “We Shall See Jesus”

This week’s inductee into the Southern Gospel song hall of fame is one of the most loved songs by the Cathedrals.  ”We Shall See Jesus” is a true Cathedral classic and a Southern Gospel music classic.  This is also the first song inducted for Dianne Wilkinson.  Dianne is one of the most well-known non-artist songwriters in Southern Gospel music, consistently nominated for songwriter of the year.

The songs that Dianne has given the Southern Gospel music world has become Southern Gospel quartet standards and this is only the first of many Dianne Wilkinson songs that will be inducted in to the Southern Gospel song hall of fame.

Instead of having a montage of artists perform the song inductee this week I have provided a YouTube clip of the Cathedrals, from 1983, performing “We Shall See Jesus”.  There really is no one other than Glen Payne that can perform this song.  Enjoy!!

Personal Vault – ‘Final Destination’

This week I went in to the personal vault and pulled out another fairly recent recording released in 1999.  Not only do I want to present albums that helped shape my love of Southern Gospel music as a kid but I also want to present some of my personal favorite recordings.  I also enjoy presenting music by artists that many current listeners of Southern Gospel are not familiar with.  This week’s artist is one of those type artists.

The Crossmen Quartet began their career in 1993.  Based in Kentucky, the quartet found minimal success in the mid to late ’90′s releasing several chart hits and appearing several years at the National Quartet Convention.  Started by the Flener Brothers (Boyce and Scott), the group still travels and records today, though to little Southern Gospel mainstream attention.

Listen to sound bites from a 1999 album release by the Crossmen Quartet titled Final Destination.

Bad Southern Gospel Songs – “Jesus Can Heal Your Achy Breaky Heart”

Today I wanted to offer another new feature to the blog.  I try to highlight the best music Southern Gospel has offered over the course of its recording history.  The fact of the matter is not every song recorded in the history of this genre has been good.  There have been some bad and downright corny songs.  This new feature is in search of the corniest Southern Gospel song ever recorded.

This new feature is not a slam against the songwriter who wrote the song or a slam against the artist who recorded it, but a critique of the song itself.  I will need my readers help each week as we search for the corniest Southern Gospel song ever recorded.  In the comments section I want you to give the song a rating of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest in terms of cheese factor.

The first song in the spotlight is a re-write of an early ’90′s country hit “Achy Breaky Heart”.  If the country song wasn’t ‘cheese’ enough, the MaHarreys decided to record a re-work of the song titled “Jesus Can Heal Your Achy Breaky Heart” on a 1993 recording Turning Point.

Listen to the first verse and chorus and remember to rate the ‘cheese’ factor in the comments section on a scale of 1 to 5.

sghistory.com Retro Spotlight – ‘Someone Touched Me’

This week I wanted to start a new feature in highlighting classic Southern Gospel albums.  For those not familiar, I am also a content editor over at sghistory.com.  The website was the brain child of owner/editor David Bruce Murray.  It allows the viewer recording histories and biographical information of almost every major artist involved with Southern Gospel music.  The site is always in search of information.

This week I wanted to offer the reader a glimpse of a classic Southern Gospel album by the Rebels Quartet.  Someone Touched Me was a 1966 release on Skylite Records.  The vocal line up at the time of this recording was Horace Parrish (Tenor), Jim Hamill (Lead), John Matthews (Baritone), London Parris (Bass) and Jimmy Taylor (Pianist).

Listen to sound bites of this 1966 recording from the Rebels Quartet; Someone Touched Me.

What The World Doesn’t Know – Soul’d Out Quartet

RATING:  7.650 (10 song average)

• Album – What The World Doesn’t Know
• Artist – Soul’d Out Quartet
• Label – Crossroads
• Style – Traditional, Progressive
• Release Date – 02/21/12
• Available For Digital Download? – Yes

SYNOPSIS:

Soul’d Out Quartet release their first album with new lead/baritone Bryan Hutson and their first collaboration with Crossroads Music.  What The World Doesn’t Know hit retail outlets yesterday (02/21/12).

What The World Doesn’t Know offers the listener ten new songs that cover styles that are ‘Kingsmen-esque’ to the more progressive stylings of Brian Free & Assurance.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Vocally this is one of the strongest albums to date for Soul’d Out Quartet.  Adding a veteran like Bryan Hutson to the mix only enhanced the strength of this new recording.
• Soul’d Out Quartet has two of the best book ends in Southern Gospel quartet music.  Dusty Barrett holds down the tenor position with ease as Matt Fouch is one of the best young bass singers in Southern Gospel music.  Both turn in great leads on What The World Doesn’t Know.
• Bryan Hutson has two stand out tracks on this new effort.  The closing number “Thank You Lord” is delivered with a simple arrangement that allows the vocal to be the center point.  The Tony Bennett lounge style to “Since I’ve Been Saved” also allows Bryan to display his veteran vocal talents.
• The easy listening feel of “If You’ll Just Ask Him” allows tenor Dusty Barrett to deliver the message with sincerity.
• Strongest songs included in order:  ”Thank You Lord”, “If You’ll Just Ask Him”, “Since I’ve Been Saved”, “Worthy The Lamb Is He” and “He Is There”.

DISLIKES:

• The recording is ballad heavy.  There are only three up tempo numbers contained on the entire recording.  Also, there are no big Southern Gospel power ballads found on What The World Doesn’t Know, so variety is lacking.
• While the up tempo numbers were lacking, the three contained on the recording were the weakest songs found on the recording.
• While Barrett/Fouch are strong book ends for Soul’d Out, I would have liked to hear Barrett featured on a nice up tempo vocal and Fouch a slower smooth bass feature.
• Weakest songs included in order:  ”That’ll Be A Great Day”, “When They Had Prayed” and “What The World Doesn’t Know”.

SONG LIST/FEATURED VOCALIST:  1. “All Things Are Possible”/Matt Fouch, Bryan Hutson (7.5)  2. “Go Out And Get Them”/Dusty Barrett (7.5)  3. “Since I’ve Been Saved”/Bryan Hutson (8)  4. “That’ll Be A Great Day”/Matt Fouch (7)  5. “Worthy The Lamb Is He”/Matt Rankin (8)  6. “If You’ll Just Ask Him”/Dusty Barrett (8)  7. “He Is There”/Matt Rankin (8)  8. “When They Had Prayed”/Bryan Hutson (7)  9. “What The World Doesn’t Know”/Matt Rankin (7.5)  10. “Thank You Lord”/Bryan Hutson (8)

Ten On Ten – Hoppers

This week’s ten on ten feature highlights the recording career of the Hoppers.  One of the most successful mixed groups in Southern Gospel history, the Hoppers celebrate their 55th anniversary in 2012.  The group began the first half of their career traveling as the Hopper Brothers & Connie.  It was around 1982 the group shortened the name and traveled as the Hoppers.

In ranking the Hoppers ten best recordings I am going to start at 1982, forward.  I may do another ten on ten feature in the future highlighting the best of the Hopper Brothers & Connie era.

The Hoppers ten best recordings are as follows:

1. Power (2000)
2. The Ride (2006)
3. Forever Settled (1997)
4. Great Day (2003)
5. Heavenly Sunrise (1991)
6. Anchor To The Power Of The Cross (1995)
7. Classics, Live In Greenville! (1999)
8. One More Time (1993)
9. Generations (2004)
10. On These Grounds (1990)

• The top four ranked albums are truly interchangeable.  I would consider all four landmark albums for the Hoppers and albums that I would consider ranking among the best Southern Gospel albums ever released.  But, I had to choose one as the #1 album for the group.  That honor went to the 2000 album Power.
• This album from start to finish has some of the best material the group ever recorded with a nice mixture of up tempo songs and ballads.  The Ride (2006) ended up at #2 because of the ratio of ballads to up tempo numbers.  It was a little ballad heavy.
• That left Forever Settled (1997) and Great Day (2003) ranked #3 and #4 respectively.  The songs contained on just these four albums have advanced the Hoppers career.  They include “The Cross Now Is Empty”, “The Dove”,  ”Forever Settled”, “God Is Good”, “Grace Will Always Be Greater Than Sin”, “Jerusalem”, “Marriage Supper Of The Lamb”, “Shouting Time”, “Yahweh” and “Yes I Am”.
• The Hoppers started their rise in Southern Gospel music with the addition of Kim Hopper at soprano in 1989.  It wasn’t intentional that the Hoppers ten best recordings are all from the era after Kim joined the group.  I don’t want to diminish the great music the group released prior to 1990 and all the great talent that was part of the group during that time period.  Also, one can’t overlook the arranging of Shannon Childress in the 1990′s for the group’s rise in Southern Gospel music.  Shannon also added his piano talents and bass singing to the group.
• Six of the top ten albums are all from the decade of the 1990′s.  After Forever Settled, the next in line at #5 is Heavenly Sunrise (1991).  This was the album that defined the new era of the Hoppers introducing mega songs “Heavenly Sunrise” and “That’s Him”.  The latter is still sung in concert by the group and was even re-recorded on The Ride.
• “Here I Am” was the song that started it all for the Hoppers.  It became the group’s first #1 song and was awarded song of the year in 1990.  The album, On These Grounds, that contained the song was strong enough to land at #10 on the group’s best list.
• The contributions of Shannon Childress, the Talleys (Roger and Debra) and Greg Bentley in the 1980′s added to the group’s success in that decade.  One can’t overlook songs from this era; “Come To The Wedding”, “Don’t Give Up The Fight”, “Heavenly Honey”, “I Need Jesus”, “I’m A Citizen Of Two Worlds”, “Smoke Of The Battle”, “When He Comes Down” and “You’ll Be There”.
• The forgotten gem in the group’s discography is their 1995 album Anchor To The Power Of The Cross.  The title track alone makes this album a must have but when you add “Go Ask”, “Led By A Cloud”, “Mission Of Mercy”, “On My Journey Home” and “When He Comes Down”; the result is a fine recording.
• It is fitting the album that should be forgotten in the group’s discography is their 2009 recording Unforgettable.  A collection of Southern Gospel standards that have been recorded many times prior makes the album quite forgettable.
• With an extensive recording career, there are a few Hopper albums that didn’t make the top ten but deserve honorable mention.  They include: Never Thirst Again (1994); Something’s Happening (2010); Citizen Of Two Worlds (1985); Mention My Name (1992) and One Foundation (1998).

***NEXT UP ON TEN ON TEN:  LEGACY FIVE***