Feb 17

“Here Comes The Bride” – The Sound

Catch a glimpse of L5 lead singer, Scott Fowler, in his younger days. With a range like that, no wonder the Cats chose him to replace Mark Trammell.

Feb 16

“Backyard Baptist” by Pastor Darrin Waldroup

Here is a clip from a great story called “Backyard Baptist” by my pastor, Dr. Darrin Waldroup.  Bro. Darrin has been my pastor for over 2 years and is without a doubt one of the finest preachers and men of God that I’ve ever sat under.  This is a great funny clip from a message he preached at the Dysons Grove Baptist Church in Mountain City, TN last November 3 for their 17th Annual Thanksgiving Jubilee.

This is hands down the best jubilee that I’ve ever attended and we always look forward to being in service with the folks at Dysons Grove and their pastor, Bro. Leonard Fletcher.  If you ever get the chance to attend, I recommend it highly. We have attended for 3 years now and it continues to be one of the highlights of our year.

Feb 14

Songs of Love

On Valentine’s Day, the entire civilized world has its mind on love. While you’re probably busy trying to figure out the right combination of flowers and chocolate to make your wife or girlfriend happy, let’s keep in mind the greatest love of all. In John 15:13, Jesus says “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” No greater love has ever been known than the love of Jesus as he took our place on Calvary.

One of God’s greatest attributes is love, and for that reason, there are a lot of songs that talk about His love. What are some of your favorites? Here’s a list of some of mine to kick things off.

  • He Loves Me (Cathedrals, Greater Vision)
  • Champion of Love (Cats, GV, L5)
  • If That Isn’t Love (Rambos, many others)
  • Love Bigger Than Heaven (Gold City)
  • Oh, the Thought That Jesus Loves Me (Collingsworth Family)
  • The Greatest Love Story (Happy Goodmans)
  • The Love of God (the hymn and the Vep Ellis convention song)
  • I’ve Never Been Loved (Kingdom Heirs)
  • For God So Loved (all the major quartets of the 1960s)
  • Boundless Love (Cats)
  • Love Went Deeper (Gold City)
  • He Is Loved (GV)

Your turn!

Feb 12

Southern Gospel Forums merges with Absolutely Gospel Forums

In a move that was an unexpected surprise, fellow blogger Daniel Mount (www.SouthernGospelBlog.com) has merged his SG forum with the Unthanks’ forum at www.AbsolutelyGospel.com.  Southern Gospel Forums was already the largest active gathering place for SG fans and now the merger has created an even larger place for fans to discuss the greatest music in the world.

If you haven’t already, come on over to www.AbsolutelyGospel.com and join in the many conversations taking place over there.

Feb 10

Songs From Scripture #2: “Dry Bones”/”God’s Building a Church”

“Dry Bones” is a fun song performed by several groups over the years.  The version I am most familiar with is the Cathedrals’, on their 1986 album Travelin’ Live.  It’s a traditional spiritual that references Ezekiel and his experience in a valley of dry bones.    Of course, the quartet has fun with the bit about the foot bone connecting to the ankle bone, etc., etc.  You may be familiar with the song, but are you familiar with the Biblical story upon which it is based, and why it is important?  Keep reading, and you will be.

First, let’s look at the Scripture reference, from Ezekiel 37:1-14.  Bear with me and read through it, since I’m quoting the whole thing at once.  Bolded emphasis is mine…to highlight verses that are quoted or paraphrased in the song.

1The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones

2And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

3And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

4Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

5Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

6And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

7So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

8And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

9Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

11Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

12Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

13And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,

14And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

So, even though “Dry Bones” is more of a novelty kind of song, it is based on a serious Biblical prophecy.  This prophecy is completely explained by the Lord in verses 11-14 above, but here’s a recap.  The bones were a symbol of the nation of Israel, scattered and dead from the time of captivity.  The great prophecy spoken to Ezekiel is that one day Israel would be revived, coming together, like the piecing together of the skeleton, and would return to their promised land.  Although I’ve seen various opinions on when this was or will be fulfilled, the rest of the chapter confirms in my heart that this is going to happen at the start of the millennial reign of Christ after the tribulation.

Interestingly, another song that makes reference to this portion of Scripture is “God’s Building a Church”, from Gold City’s 1997 album What a Great Lifestyle.  Tim Riley’s ultra-low step-out lines in the chorus are the references: “It’s gonna march like a mighty army band” (verse 10), and “It’s gonna rise from a valley of dead, dry bones” (verses 1 and 2).

This song takes the prophecy in a little different direction, applying it to the Church.  While the prophecy is specifically talking about the nation of Israel, I believe it does no harm to learn from it and apply it to our lives as the Church.  In this application, the valley of bones is a symbol of a sinful world.  God will take these dry bones (that’s us) and put them together in one body, breathing new life into us.  This has been happening since Jesus established the Church, and is still happening today.  One day, that body will be complete, and then the Church will rise triumphantly to live forever in heaven.

So are these just cute songs?  Not to me. If you think about what the lyrics are talking about, and what that means to us, it should bring joy to a Christian’s heart.

 

Feb 09

The Watkins Family – Heaven’s Worth Waiting For

The Watkins Family is no newcomer to gospel music, as they began their musical journey in 1970’s. Hailing from Toccoa, GA, Matriarch Judy Watkins and children, Lorie, Shanon & Todd are carrying on the musical tradition started several years ago by parents, Don & Judy.  They sing a range of gospel styles which include acoustic, bluegrass & southern.  The group broke new ground in 1988 becoming the first bluegrass gospel act to perform on Capitol Hill in the Capitol Complex in Washington D.C. attended by dignitaries from around the world.

This latest release features all of these styles, so there’s a little something for everyone on this project.  To me, anytime that you can through bluegrass and drums in the same song, something good is going to happen.  There are driving country tunes, like “Love And Grace” & “She Found Jesus Alive”, which Carroll Roberson also released several years ago.  This may be the same song, but the arrangement is sped up and given an acoustic country flair.  There are also some songs with a contemporary feel, such as “What A Wonderful Name” & “To Know You More” and ballads like “Love That Wouldn’t Let Go” and the gospel standard, “Peace In The Valley”.  “Peace In The Valley” also includes a recitation by Judy Watkins and closes by transitioning to “Heaven Will Be Worth It All”.  Then there are the straight ahead bluegrass tunes like “Captain Reached Down For My Soul” & “Closer To Home”.

Track Listing:

  1. She Found Jesus Alive
  2. Love That Wouldn’t Let Go
  3. What A Wonderful Name
  4. Captain Reached Down For My Soul
  5. She’s Working On Her Testimony
  6. Love And Grace
  7. To Know You More
  8. Sometimes You Gotta Rock The Boat
  9. Closer To Home
  10. What Love Has Grown
  11. Peace In The Valley

While not everyone likes straight ahead bluegrass gospel music, there are enough other flavors of songs mixed in on Heaven’s Worth Waiting For that everyone can find something to enjoy.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Produced by: Mark Fain, Karen Peck Gooch & Danny Jones
Group Members: Judy, Lorie, Shanon & Todd Watkins
Available from: The Watkins Family
Review copy provided

Feb 08

Retro Review #2: Signed Sealed Delivered (Gold City)

The Gold City lineup of Tim Riley, Mark Trammell, Jonathan Wilburn, and Jay Parrack has always been my favorite.  Their albums released from 1996 through 2001 all rank among my favorite southern gospel projects of all time.  If you like southern gospel in a straight-up, driving style sung by elite vocal talent, these are the CDs for you.  It’s very difficult for me to choose a personal favorite among these projects, but in the end, I always come back to their 1999 release, Signed Sealed Delivered.  More than any of the others, this is a deep recording.  It has 12 tracks (OK, maybe more like 11.5), none of which have me reaching for the “skip” button.  Contained within are five infectious toe-tappers, two of the quartet’s most powerful ballads, and a few other more mellow, but not boring, songs.

1. “It’s Gonna Be a Good Day”

This uptempo number featuring Wilburn and Riley is a great way to kick of the project.  Indeed, it has you thinking “It’s Gonna Be a Good CD!” (rim shot, please)  It admittedly doesn’t have deep spiritual content, but it does serve to get the listener “warmed up”.  This is a very rare Bill Gaither song recorded by Gold City, and as far as I can tell, the only new Gaither song they have recorded.  Gaither isn’t known for writing this type of quartet song, but he does a pretty god job on this one.

Personal song rating: 8 out of 10

2. “Hide Me Behind the Cross”

We go from a sugar-stick kind of song without much spiritual meat to perhaps the most lyrically powerful song Gold City has ever recorded.  What a message this Rebecca Peck/Angelina McKeithen ballad brings: our primary goal as Christians should be to live in such a way that when people see us, they see Jesus.  To do that, we have to move ourselves out of the way and let Him take control.  While Jay Parrack does a great job getting into the rafters in uptempo songs, he is at his best in songs like this.  He turns in a sensational vocal performance, and the rest of the quartet fills in some fantastic harmony in the chorus.  This is just a great, great song in every way.

Personal song rating: 10 out of 10

3. “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”

The quartet revs it back up in the third track, with a driving tempo and a well-crafted lyrical hook.  The chorus really does a great job of using a “postal” theme to relate great Biblical truth: “I’m signed on that list for the day of ascension/I’m sealed by His Spirit ‘til the day of redemption/Delivered from bondage and I want you to know/I’m signed, sealed, delivered, and I’m ready to go.”  Wilburn takes the first verse, and Parrack takes the second after a key change.  I love it when Gold City really turns loose on the last chorus of a song, and they do that here with Riley stepping out and dropping into the basement.

Personal song rating: 9 out of 10

4. “When He Calls I’ll Fly Away”

The group takes a page out of the Statesmen’s book on this old Vep Ellis convention song.  The arrangement is similar, with Wilburn playing Hovie Lister’s part, but the instrumentation and overall sound are obviously much bigger.  Wilburn is definitely in his comfort zone with this type of song, and this would indeed be one of his signature songs during his Gold City tenure.  This would be a common concert-closer for the quartet, and it rarely failed to get crowds on their feet.

Personal song rating: 8 out of 10

5. “My Savior’s Precious Feet”

Mark Trammell gets his first feature with this more reserved, contemplative track written by Doug Riley.  The unique lyric does a great job of highlighting just how important the feet of Jesus were in His life, and in our life, and ends up with us bowing at those feet in Heaven.  As always, Trammell expertly lets the lyric speak through him in the verses.  There’s nothing fancy here…just a good lyric delivered well.

Personal song rating: 8 out of 10

6. “Choose God”

The listener is allowed to rest a little more with a relatively subdued jazzy tune featuring Riley in the first verse and Trammell in the second.  The message is simple: choose to follow God, and good things will happen in your life.

Personal song rating: 7 out of 10

7. “Mighty Army Band”

The drums in this song appropriately give it a sort of military, marching feel.  Riley carries both verses, and Trammell has the lead in the chorus, sung together by all four members.  Again, there are no high-flying vocal acrobatics here, just straight quartet singing.  Speaking of high-flying…

Personal song rating: 7 out of 10

8. “He Said”

This Dianne Wilkinson burner of a song is what I consider to be Jonathan Wilburn’s signature performance with Gold City.  The relatively slow, but searing, rhythm is easily associated with the fire and brimstone message delivered by the preacher who is the subject of the lyric.  Wilburn lets loose in the verses and in the step-outs in the chorus; once again this style is right in his wheelhouse.  This was one of Gold City’s biggest hits: in fact, it is their most recent Singing News #1 charting song.

Personal song rating: 8 out of 10

9. “Calvary’s Hill”

Gold City originally recorded this song in 1988 as a Mike LeFevre feature.  That version is great, but Mark Trammell and the rest of the quartet breathe new life into it here.  You cannot go wrong taking a powerful ballad and handing it to Trammell, and I consider this to be the best vocal performance of his Gold City tenure.  The poignant lyric tells of how what once was a place of brutality and terror, through Christ’s finished work on Calvary, became the site of the world’s greatest victory.  Trammell really puts the exclamation point on the song at the end.  This is one of those songs you want to be careful with if listening while driving…you’re better off pulling over a few minutes and having yourself a time.

Personal song rating: 10 out of 10

10. “Everything You’ll Need”

The volume is turned down a few notches with this light, jazz-flavored tune.  Parrack effectively falsettos his way through much of the song, and the quartet fills in some nice, relaxing harmony.

Personal song rating: 7 out of 10

11. “When the Holy Ghost Shows Up (We’ll Have Church)”

As we near the end of the project, the group puts one more uptempo, can’t-help-but-sing-along, stamp on the album.  The melody and tempo are fun, but message is a serious and true one: our worship is empty, and isn’t even true worship, without the presence of the Holy Spirit.  The verses feature Wilburn and reach back to the day of Pentecost to show us the nature of true worship.  Once again, Riley is turned loose on the last chorus, and the song finishes with power, on a high note.

Personal song rating: 9 out of 10

12. “God Will Take Care of You”

After 11 songs have delivered great spiritual exercise to the listener, the CD closes with a soothing “goodbye” of sorts, an a cappella verse and chorus of a classic hymn.

Personal song rating: 7 out of 10