I faced a very difficult decision this year when selecting my top album of 2014. There was absolutely no debate in my mind what the two top recordings were, but which one should be “Album of the Year”? The Kingsmen really made a huge comeback this year with the stellar Battle Cry. The only recording this …
Tag: Kingsmen
Oct 29
Album Review: Battle Cry (Kingsmen)
Let’s just get this out of the way right off the bat: Battle Cry is the best recording the Kingsmen Quartet have released in at least 12 years. The current vocal lineup of Chris Jenkins (tenor), Bob Sellers (lead), Randy Crawford (baritone), and Hall-of-Famer Ray Dean Reese (bass) have been at it for two and …
Oct 22
Songs From Scripture #7: “God Saw a Cross”
“God Saw a Cross” was a number one hit for the Kingsmen three years ago this month, off of their 2009 album Missing People. Written by Rodney Griffin, it is in my opinion one of the most lyrically powerful songs in the catalog of this legendary quartet. You can’t have a powerful gospel lyric without …
Sep 13
NQC 2012: Wednesday Night
What a tiring, but rewarding day it was yesterday! After a long, full day of driving, we made it into Freedom Hall right as Mike Speck was leading some congregational singing before bringing out the first quartet of the night. I love the idea of Quartet Night, and I’m so glad we were able to …
Jan 23
Top 100: #19 King’s Gold (Gold City & Kingsmen)
Release Year: 1992 Album Rank for Group: #1 of 3 Here’s a blurb: The King’s Gold series is, in my opinion, the greatest collaborative effort in southern gospel music history. I love all four of the albums that came out of it, but none of them quite captured the character of these two groups like …
Dec 01
Top 100: #35 Mississippi Live (Kingsmen)
Release Year: 1987 Album Rank for Group: #2 of 2 Here’s a blurb: The first Kingsmen CD I ever got was the double CD of Stand Up at Opryland and Mississippi Live. That lineup and sound stuck with me immediately, and those are still two of my favorite albums today. Mississippi Live has a couple …
Sep 13
Top 100: #72 King’s Gold III (Gold City & Kingsmen)
Release Year: 1994 Album Rank for Group: #2 of 3 Here’s a blurb: The third installment of the King’s Gold series was the only one that was themed. Jim Hamill guided the double quartet through gospel music history, singing classics songs from the Statesmen, Blackwood Brothers, Inspirations, Happy Goodmans, Cathedrals, and of course, Gold City …
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