Album Review: God Makes No Mistakes (Inspirations)

In 2008, after nine consecutive albums with the same vocal lineup, a period of transition began for the Inspirations. Most impactful on the sound, of course, was the exit of original tenor Archie Watkins. Three years later, three fourths of the vocal lineup has changed, with longtime bass Mike Holcomb being the only mainstay. Each album since 2008’s How Great It Is has sounded a little different, and moved the quartet somewhat away from the classic mountain sound whose linchpin was Watkins. With God Makes No Mistakes, the transition is complete.

Before you go off telling your mama and grandpa that the Inspirations have gone “modern”, I assure you that the songs, arrangements, and instrumentation are still easily identifiable with the consistent Inspirations sound. The music is still built primarily around a piano, with a healthy dose of steel guitar and bluegrass instruments. The lyrics are still down-to-earth and rooted in strong Biblical doctrine.

But vocally, this is a completely different quartet than the Inspirations of yesteryear. Jodi Hosterman, on his second album with the quartet, really makes his mark on this project, and is the primary force behind the vocal shift. I don’t think you could find more opposite tenors than Archie Watkins and Jodi Hosterman. But, surprise…it works. I’ve got every Inspirations project going back to the 1980s, and some even before that, and in my opinion, the quartet has never sounded any better than they do on this album. The youth movement of Hosterman, David Ragan on lead, and new baritone Jon Epley, along with the familiar foundation of Holcomb, has breathed new life into the Inspirations sound, and that is on full display with God Makes No Mistakes.

Speaking of Epley, the newest vocalist in the quartet is featured prominently throughout the project, with solo verses on “My Lord Is Taking Good Care of Me”, “Why We Came Here”, and “Nothing Less Than Grace”. He has a distinctive baritone voice when singing his solos, and blends in perfectly when singing with the quartet.

Including the three mentioned above, eight of the songs on the project are uptempo. While all of them are enjoyable to me, the strongest are “Living in the Land of Canaan”, “Talk About Dying”, and “He Made a Way”. “Living…” is an infectious toe-tapper with just a couple of twists that will make you say “the old Inspirations wouldn’t have done that”. “Talk About Dying” and “He Made a Way” both feature Holcomb stepping out in the chorus, and both show off some of the highest notes the Inspirations have sung in their trio blend.

While the uptempo songs dominate the project quantitatively, it’s the two ballads that really set this album apart for me. Both of them feature Hosterman, and both are songs that you would have a hard time imagining the Inspirations singing with any previous lineup of vocalists. “God Makes No Mistakes”, perhaps not so coincidentally the project’s first single, is the strongest song on the album, and probably the most touching new song I’ve heard this year. Put Holcomb’s first verse in context with the tragic circumstances he and his family have experienced recently, and you cannot help but be moved. While not quite as strong a song, “I Choose the Lord” is the biggest departure on the project from the classic Inspirations sound, with great effect.

The Inspirations have not made, and probably will never make, a wholesale change to their sound and image. They don’t want that, and their fans don’t want that. You’re not going to like this project if you have to have big orchestrated ballads, or a driving country rhythm. But if you’ve never given the Inspirations a chance before, or you have and it didn’t stick, this is a fine opportunity to revisit them. Longtime Inspirations fans will be delighted with this new, youthful, energetic version of the sound with which they are familiar. And I think the Inspirations just might pick up a few new fans along the way.

Album rating: 5 stars

Song list:
1. My Lord Is Taking Good Care of Me (Stacy Pearcy)
2. There’s Something About a Prayer (Barbara Huffman, Scott Inman)
3. God Makes No Mistakes (Pearcy)
4. He Got Up (Joseph Habedank, Matthew Holt)
5. He Made a Way (Squire Parsons)
6. Why We Came Here (Habedank, Nick Trammell)
7. Talk About Dying (Tim Wilson)
8. Nothing Less Than Grace (Rodney Griffin)
9. Living in the Land of Canaan (Van Mitchell)
10. I Choose the Lord (Pearcy)

Available: Crossroads