Review: Ricky Atkinson & Compassion – “Encore: Songs From Our Past”

This is the first release from Ricky Atkinson & Compassion since Loren Harris and Greg Cook joined up with Atkinson. As the title suggest, most of the songs are re-recordings of songs that each person has made popular over the years with other groups, with a few new songs as well.

Tracks:

1. Until The Day – Nice inspriational style ballad. It’s an interesting choice to start an album, but this is a great song, and a promising start to the project. These guys have a really smooth blend. 9/10
2. I Call On Jesus – Mid to uptempo number. It’s a solid song, not a great song, but a good song. The blend is excellent, the harmonies are spot on, and it’s just a really solid song. It does seem to drag just a bit toward the end of the song. 7/10
3. When He Was On The Cross – I’ve always loved Greg Cook’s voice, especially on this song. That said, this version sounds very mechanical to me. It doesn’t ring with the same kind of passion that Cook’s rendition on an early Gaither video had. It also misses some of the background vocals that the Florida Boys sang on this song. Still, it’s a great song and a decent rendition. I still prefer Cook’s voice on this song to Terry Davis, but that is just my personal taste. 7.5/10
4. I Wish I Could Have Been There – Loren Harris made this song a huge hit with the Perrys. I was a bit disappointed in this rendition. Harris just seems to have a really rough sound to his voice on this song. It absolutely is still enjoyable, but just doesn’t measure up to the Perrys rendition. 6/10
5. Jesus Can – Inspirational style ballad featuring Ricky Atkinson. This is another great song. These guys have a great ensemble sound. The track has a typical inspirational ballad style, but the vocals retain a bit of a country sound. Greg Cook sings the melody on the chorus. I really like this song. 9/10
6. Unclouded Day – Driving country arrangement on this song. Greg Cook takes the lead on the song. It’s a decent rendition, but again, I’m not a fan of the driving country sound. 7/10
7. Calvary Answers For Me – Another big song from Loren Harris. This one works much better than “I Wish I Could”, though I still don’t think it matches the original. Still, Loren Harris shows why he’s widely considered to have one of the best voices in gospel music. 8/10
8. Resting Place – Ricky Atkinson made this a hit with the Wilburns. This one does measure up to the original. Great cut of a classic song. This one is a bit special to me, as it was played at my grandfather’s funeral, as I’m sure it has been at many other funerals. 10/10
9. When Jesus Comes In The Clouds – Uptempo number with Loren Harris singing lead. This is another highlight of the project. I think the group sounds really good with Harris singing lead and Atkinson singing baritone. Good cut, great song. 9.5/10
10. In Jesus Name – Another inspo type ballad to close the disc featuring Greg Cook. He has a really pleasing tone, and does a good job interpreting ballads. This one has more feeling to it than “When He Was On The Cross”, and is a great introspective way to close the CD. 8.5/10

Overall: 8 This is a very solid effort from the new configuration of Ricky Atkinson & Compassion. The new songs on this project actually shine brighter than the cover versions of the former hits. These guys have an incredibly smooth sound, and I’m really looking forward to hearing a CD with all new material. While this project is not exactly “must-have”, it does whet the appetite to hear more of what these guys can do as an ensemble singing songs that fit their group sound. I fully expect great things from these guys in the near future.