Release Year: 1994
Album Rank for Group: #5 of 15
Here’s a blurb: The aptly named Renewed might be the greatest “comeback” album in the history of southern gospel music. By that I don’t really mean that Gold City was “down” and had to rise back to the top. But when you lose half of one of the most popular quartet configurations of all time, and come back with an album like this, I’d say that’s impressive. With the wildly popular Brian Free and Ivan Parker departed, the shuffle began. Steve Lacey moved to lead, veteran Mark Trammell left Greater Vision to take the baritone spot, and the young Jay Parrack was hired as tenor. These two hires weren’t just home runs; they were bottom-of-the-9th grand slams. Renewed is great even if these circumstances aren’t considered, however. Two tremendous power ballads and four thrilling uptempo numbers highlight the recording. This was not the same Gold City sound anchored by Free and Parker, but it was the birth of a new sound that would keep the quartet on top of the southern gospel world for the next decade.
Knock my socks off: Calvary Came Through, Born to Praise the Lord, Ever Since That Wonderful Day, God of All Gods
Don’t skip that one: Going Going Gone, I Have Passed Over Into Canaanland, Jesus Cares for You
I could honestly do without: Stand
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“Calvary Came Through” and “God of All Gods” are my favorites and “I Have Passed Over Into Canaanland” was good. I thought “Calvary Came Through” started showing a different Mark Trammell as he used more of his range on the upper notes and you started seeing his development into the vocalist he is today. Don’t get me wrong, he did some really good stuff with the Cathedrals, but man has he grown since then.
Enjoyed him at the baritone spot, but Lacey sounds great on this recording.
“I Have Passed Over Into Canaanland”:
Is this the same song that the Kingdom Heirs recorded on the 1999 record “The Journey Ahead”?
Chorus of the KH’s song is:
“He brought me out of the barren wilderness
to a place that He chose for me.
I’ve come too far to ever turn around again.
And He’s walking all the way beside me
and my sou’s found victory.
I’ve passed over into Cannanland.”
Author
Yes, it is the same song. It was just an album cut for Gold City, but the Kingdom Heirs had success with it as a single, I believe. I actually prefer the Kingdom Heirs version a little bit. The Gold City version is smoother, but the KH version has more oomph.
I see a pattern here, based on what you just said, (seeing I haven’t heard Gold CIty’s version of “I’ve Passed Over”) and “covers” that I’ve heard Gold City’s recordings of.
I’d say that it seems that alot of GC’s “cover” songs of this era are “smooth”, where the other versions have more “oomph”.
Take for example, the 1994 release, “Lord, Do It Again”.
They cover 3 Perfect Heart songs, “I’ve Been To Calvary”, “Somebody Touched The Lord”, and “I Hold A Clear Title”.
Jay Parrack a different type of tenor than Danny Funderburk, so Jay couldn’t “carbon-copy” Danny on these songs.
Jay gave more of a smooth, laid back preformance, while Danny was belting it out, like was the norm for his style.
“Lord, Do It Again” is a Squire Parsons song that the Booth Brothers cut 8 years later on “This Stage Of Grace”.
“How Big Is God”, “Then I Met The Master”, “Wonderfull TIme Up There”, and “The Dearest Friend I Ever Had” had been standards for severall years, and many groups would have done these. Gold City adds to these songs their own “smoothness” that would become a characteristic of the Parrack, Tramell, and Riley lineup.
I love this album and you’re dead on all your observations. Garry Jones did a great job producing this project, and he is one of the most underrated produces in our genre.