Between Here And Heaven: Booth Brothers

GRADE:  B+

• Album:  Between Here And Heaven
  
• Artist:  Booth Brothers
• Label:  Gaither Gospel Series
• Style:  Progressive, Inspirational
• Release Date:  01/03/17
• Digital Download:  Yes
  
• Running Time:  43 Minutes

SYNOPSIS:

Today we take a look at the ghost album from the Booth Brothers, Between Here And Heaven.

The album, which was supposed to be released under the Gaither Gospel Series was made available on the group’s website the end of 2016.  The album never received any promotion, wasn’t widely released by Gaither and to my knowledge only made available to one retail outlet.

All that would seem like non-success but Between Here And Heaven went on to win album of the year at the 2017 edition of the Singing News fan awards.  Because of that I thought it would finally be time to review this album, which I’ve been sitting on since the beginning of the year.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• The stand out songs on Between Here And Heaven are covers.  I named “He Heals” one of the best recorded songs of 2014 in my annual countdown.  The original recorded by Legacy Five.  Michael turns in a beautiful performance of the song, which is one of the best on the album!
• Paul Lancaster re-records a song he made popular during his tenure with Palmetto State Quartet; “A Moment Of Grace”.  This is another must listen.
• Between Here And Heaven lacks up-tempo songs but the one up-tempo bright spot is the Mosie Lister penned, “Come And See The Man”.  This hearkens back to the Booth Brothers early days in the industry.
• Each member take the lead on a verse of “Grace Divine”.  An awesome Lee Black/Gina Boe co-write.  If the group decides to release a radio single from the album, this is it!
• The album starts off with “That Says It All”, a song Ronnie recorded on a solo recording a decade ago.  This song is the definition of the Booth Brothers style.
• The trio tackle the 1994 Steven Curtis Chapman CCM hit, “Facts Are Facts”.  The only other up-tempo song on the album and this rollicking cover by the Booth Brothers is fun and will have you singing along.
• The Booth Brothers continue to prove why they remain one of the most popular groups in Southern Gospel music.
• Strongest songs included in order:  “He Heals”, “A Moment Of Grace”, “Grace Divine”, “Come And See The Man”, “Stop The Storm”, “That Says It All” and “Facts Are Facts”.

CRITIQUE:

• “Until The Time Comes To Leave” orchestration sounds like something that should be on some generic Christmas album.  The musical interlude that comes at the end is way too long.
• As already mentioned, the pacing of the album is slow.  Eight of the ten songs on the album are in the slow to mid-tempo range.
• Weakest songs included in order:  “It Is No Secret” and “Until The Times Comes To Go”.

WRAP UP:

Why did Gaither shelve this recording?  It is consistent with what listeners have come to expect from the Booth Brothers.  Did the album deserve to win album of the year at the 2017 edition of the Singing News fan awards?  Sure.  It is as good as any of the other albums that were nominated.

SONG/Featured Vocalist – Songwriter:  1. “That Says It All”/Ronnie – Mosie Lister  2. “Between Here And Heaven“/Michael – Gina Boe, Joseph Habedank, Tony Wood  3. “Stop The Storm“/Paul – Rebecca Bowman, Joseph Habedank, Sonya Isaacs Yeary  4. “Come And See The Man”/Ensemble – Mosie Lister  5. “He Heals”/Michael – Jennifer Layne, Don Poythress  6. “A Moment Of Grace”/Paul – Joe Wesley Gordon  7. “Grace Divine”/Michael; Ronnie; Paul – Lee Black, Gina Boe  8. “Facts Are Facts”/Paul – Steven Curtis Chapman  9. “It Is No Secret”/Ronnie – Stuart Hamblen  10. “Until The Time Comes To Leave”/Ronnie; Paul – Woody Wright