Casey Rivers Joins Beyond The Ashes

It has been announced on facebook by Beyond The Ashes that Casey Rivers has joined their group.  You may remember Casey from the popular television reality show Nashville Star where he was first runner up in 2006.

For more information on Casey visit: http://www.caseyrivers.com

For more information on Beyond the Ashes visit: http://www.beyondtheashesonline.com

An Interesting Opportunity For Songwriters

Daniel Mount has an interesting story about Phil Cross offering to exchange songwriting coaching for concert dates.  The crux is that if the writer can get Phil a couple of dates in the area, Cross would come and work with said writer.  It’s an fascinating concept, and is definitely some out of the box thinking in these challenging economic times.

YouTube Clip #17

With the Scott Inman interview, I thought it would be a good time to post a video by Triumphant Quartet.   Here is a clip of “The Old White Flag.”  Clayton really has those George Clooney moves down!

SG Insights: Scott Inman – Triumphant Quartet

One of the brightest young talents in SG today is Triumphant Quartet’s Scott Inman.  I recently got the opportunity to ask Scott a few questions about Triumphant’s latest release, Everyday, and about the group in general.  Here is the interview.

WB: Who came up with the idea of covering the Oak Ridge Boys tune, and how did it get to be the title track?
SI: It’s funny you should ask that….for as long as I can remember I have listened to and loved the Oak Ridge Boys. Jeff Stice and myself one day were talking about ORB and the song “Everday” came up.  We both thought it was a song that could be done in a gospel setting as well.  Especially in these days when it seems like everyone’s out for themselves this song offers up the thought of being unselfish and kind to your fellow Christian or even a person who doesn’t know Jesus where maybe your actions could make them say “Man, I want what they have” .  We approached the rest of the guys about it and they were all for it.  When it came time to pick the name of the CD it just made the most sense..EVERYDAY..so we went with it…LOL

WB: Most groups, even Gold City when Garry Jones was with them, primarily use studio pianists on their recordings.  I noticed that Jeff Stice did all the piano parts on this CD, which is great.  What are the reasons for this?
SI: You know I never understood  why live players never played on the studio projects.  In our case, Jeff is an amazing player and we feel confident in his ability.  It’s never crossed our minds not to have him play.

WB: How has your song selection process changed over the last 7 years?
SI: When we pick songs for a CD it’s not always about finding awesome songs.  We try to also pick songs that we need at that point  for stage/live purposes.  We’ve turned down many songs that were amazing BUT either we didn’t need it or we already had something like it.  Since day 1 we’ve picked songs for stage/live reasons, and i don’t think that will ever change.

WB: Has your philosophy in creating an album and song selection changed since making the move from primarily a theater group to a full time touring group?
SI: Yes and no…..we’ve always prided ourselves in not being put in a box.  We love to minister, entertain, laugh, cry, etc…. we did this in the theater and were doing it now.  So I think we’ve matured as a group in who we are but “we are who we are.” LOL

WB: Which song took the most work vocally to get it right?
SI: They all went very smooth.  I think we actually took equal time on most.  If i have to pick one I’m gonna say….. whatever the first song was on the first day, because they had to get the microphones set. LOL  One of the good things about being together as for 7 years is the blend seems to always be there.

WB: Which song is the most fun to sing live?
SI: “When the Trumpet Sounds” – We’ve closed  concerts with it since the CD came out and it works every time.  It’ll be a radio single.  In just the short time that we’ve had the CD we’ve already staged all 10 songs and on any given night you might here 6 or 7 off the new CD… so that’s always a great sign!

WB: You guys have released a large number of projects in your 7 years, and a lot of “table” projects.  Will this continue, or do you plan on slowing down the recording in the near future?
SI: At this point, I don’t think we know.  We have talked about doing a specialty project next or in the future, something with a theme.  We shall see..LOL

WB: Which is more demanding on you vocally, singing in the theater, or singing on the road full time?
SI: Theater – Even though we’re on the road now, we still have 3 to 4 sometimes 5 days off a week.  At the theater it was 5 days a week and twice a month we would travel on the weekends so…no doubt the theater.

Thanks Scott for taking the time to do this interview.  Oh, and for those of you who are following the NCAA basketball tournament, I have it on good authority that Scott is rooting for my Memphis Tigers since the Tennessee Volunteers were eliminated.  Just thought I’d share.  Be sure to catch Triumphant when they are in your area, their new CD is great, and I personally can’t wait to hear “When The Trumpet Sounds” live, it’s got to be a good one!

Ball Brothers Sign With Song Garden

In their latest email newsletter, the Ball Brothers announced that they have signed on with Song Garden records, and are currently working on their debut project with the label, entitled Breakthrough.  They mentioned that the project is being produced by Jason Webb and Darren Rust.  Rust worked with the guys on their Christmas CD last year, and it ended up as a fantastic project.  Webb also produced the Canaan debut for the Mike Lefevre Quartet, which I rated as my top album in 2008.  With these two guys producing, this should make for one incredible album.  Congratulations to the Ball Brothers on getting on a label.  They are certainly deserving, and be watching for big things from this group sooner, rather than later.

Wendy Bagwell, Bobby All, and “Spiritual Man”

In the wake of Bobby All’s passing, DBM posted a story by the late Wendy Bagwell that involved Bobby and an aspiring artist.  Check it out here, but don’t disturb your co-workers with laughter, as hard as it may be.  The line about head tones and a Buick is classic.

Joint Review: Liberty Quartet – Amazed

Contributors:

• Daniel J. Mount (www.SouthernGospelBlog.com)
• Wes Burke (Burke’s Brainwork)
• Aaron Swain (Swain’s Musings)

1. Amazed at the Change
Aaron: The album with a slightly slow, country-style tune. Sounds like something out of The Kingdom Heirs’ songbook. Nice way to open up the project.

2. Keep Me
Wes: This is a nice midtempo song with a slightly progressive edge to it.  The harmonies are nice and smooth, and they do a really good job of using some unison lines and verses to keep the song musically interesting.  This is a really nice cut.

Aaron: This song utilizes some great progressive harmonies to drive it. The group would do well to release this to radio soon.

3. Broken But Blessed
Daniel: This song, featuring tenor Keith Waggoner, is musically subdued but lyrically powerful. It was co-written by Twila LeBar and Sue C. Smith, two of the best but least recognized songwriters in Southern Gospel. (LeBar is co-writer of songs like “Orphans of God” and “The Great I Am Still Is”; Sue C. Smith has co-written songs like “But For the Blood,” “He Forgets,” “Forgave Me Saved Me Raised Me,” and “Realms of Glory Bright.”)

Wes: Keith does a great job on this song.  He’s not the highest tenor you are going to hear, but he has a very pleasing voice and does a great job interpreting this song.  There’s nothing really flashy here, as Daniel alluded to, but just some solid singing on a nice tune.

Daniel: Keith actually does have a few high notes in him. But he’s said in the past (here) that one thing the group stresses is that none of the vocalists push the limits of their range—that they only record and stage what they can consistently produce.

Aaron: That’s an interesting tidbit, Daniel. That shows me that these guys care about putting out quality music and preserving their voices.
The project’s first truly slow song is a good song. Just straight-forward singing, no vocal showboating.

4. Just Stand
Wes: Midtempo number featuring bass singer Royce Mitchell.  This sounds a lot like something you’d hear from the Kingdom Heirs.  Actually, there are several songs on this disc that sound a lot like KH tunes.  Since the KH are one of the most solid quartets around, that’s a good thing. This is a very enjoyable tune.

Daniel: Royce has had professional voice training and often utilizes an operatic voice. On this song, he drops the vibrato. I’d agree with Wes’s observation that this gives the song a Kingdom Heirs feel.

Aaron: Like the other guys have said, this does sound like a KH song, but I also find that it recalls the song “God’s Still Good” from Gold City’s Revival project. Mitchell displays a nice lower range here.

5. Into the Water
Daniel: This uptempo song is a nice change of pace from a string of slower ballads. If Liberty singles an uptempo song, this is probably the most radio-friendly uptempo song on the CD.

Wes: There is some nice smooth harmony on this song.  These guys know how to sing and how to blend.

6. Call It What it Is
Daniel: This song has a distinctive enough lyric and melody to be unique—but at the same time, it is unmistakably a Southern Gospel big ballad. This song should stand out and do well if singled. I received the CD about a week ago and (rare for me) the song is already on my top 50 most played list on iTunes (out of 11,000+ songs).

Aaron: Awesome song. Lead singer Dan Gilbert has a sound to his voice that sounds like Bryan Hutson, and it works very well for this track. Great choice for a single.

Daniel: Interesting comparision. I hadn’t thought of comparing Gilbert to Hutson—I’d been thinking along the lines of a comparison to Phil Cross or even Arthur Rice.

Wes: I actually don’t hear any of the 3 comparisons.  I think Gilbert has a sound all his own.  That doesn’t detract from the fact that this is one of the strongest songs on the disc.  Nice smooth harmonies on this number.  I really like this song.

7. Music at Midnight
Wes: Nice uptempo number.  This song sounds like the group was going after the type of sound that was found on Gold City’s “If God Be For Us” with strings and brass behind the more traditional SG instrumentation, including some nice banjo/guitar interplay on the instrumental break.  This song doesn’t quite measure up to Gold City’s gem, but it is still very enjoyable, and kudos on the arrangement.

8. He’s Been There Too
Daniel: Liberty Quartet bass singer Royce Mitchell is featured on this song. It’s somewhat unusual to give a bass singer a solo on a big ballad, but Mitchell is equally adept at singing straight-ahead low bass and almost operatic higher bass, and he showcases his operatic bass/baritone range to great effect here.

Aaron: As a first-time listener of Liberty Quartet, one would be hard-pressed to believe that the featured singer here is the same guy that was rocking the low end of the spectrum a couple of tracks back. But it is indeed Royce Mitchell, and like Daniel said, his bass/baritone range sounds great here.

Wes: This is a nice ballad, and Mitchell really shows some nice range.

9. Why Wouldn’t I
Aaron: Lead singer Dan Gilbert is a two-fold singer; on slower songs, he sounds like Bryan Hutson. But give him a hard-driving faster song like this and you have a young Arthur Rice. This is a good, country-style track.

Daniel: I didn’t notice earlier that you were about to get to the same comparison I had in mind!

Wes: This is a nice, solid uptempo track.  Nothing flashy, but just good solid singing.

10. He Will Quiet You

Wes: This is a nice, soft, tender ballad.  I like the echo harmonies on the first part of the chorus up against the unison echoes on the last part of the chorus.  The round like harmonies on the bridge are very nice as well, and something to set this song apart.

11. That’s What Love Does
Daniel: This song was written by baritone/pianist Doran Ritchey. The group pulls off some tight jazz harmonies with confidence.

Wes: I’m a sucker for jazz influenced songs, and these guys pull it off very well.  They have a really smooth sound, and this is one of my favorites.  The soft swing beat gets your foot tapping and your head bobbing.

Summaries:
Daniel: This is one of the strongest independently released projects I’ve heard this year. A label would really do well to pick this group up as soon as they can.

Aaron: I can’t say much more than Daniel has. It’s about time that this group gets the national recognition they deserve and get picked up by a major label. Of course, with Crossroads signing groups like nobody’s business these days, it may not be long!

Wes: These guys are one of the best kept secrets in Southern Gospel music.  These guys are solid at every position in the group and have a good concept of their strengths as vocalists.  They play to their respective strengths and don’t try to be something they are not.  They’ve done a good job of including a variety of styles on this project as well.  Somebody needs to pick these guys up on a major label, and soon!

RATINGS:

Daniel: Average song rating – 4.0. Overall rating: 4.5.
Aaron: Average song rating – 4 stars. Overall rating: 4.5 stars.
Wes: Average song rating – 4 stars.  Overall rating: 4.5 stars

Bobby All Passes Away

A while back, a prayer request went around for Bobby All, one of SG’s best session guitarists.  Singing News is now reporting, and as was commented on my above post, that Bobby passed away last night.  Sincere condolences to his family on a sad passing.  By all accounts, Bobby All was one of the true good guys.

Vestal Goodman: The Unsurpassed Masters

I noticed an ad on SGN’s site for a CD called Vestal Goodman: The Unsurpassed Masters Volume 1.  You can find it here.  I’ve never heard of Worthington Music Group, but this is an interesting concept for a CD.  Included in the testimonial section is a quote from Rick Goodman, and judging from the fact that these recordings are supposedly rehearsal tapes, etc. from the family archives, my guess is that he was involved in the production of this CD.  There have been some, shall we say, dubious discussions about some of Rick’s efforts in keeping the Goodman legacy going, but I will say this is a more kosher move, and one that is much more intriguing for Goodmans fans.  These kind of recordings are fairly common in secular circles, my Beach Boys box has several rehearsal tracks, demos, and studio outtakes.  It sounds like an interesting CD concept for SG.  I for one hope that is does well enough to inspire similar kinds of recordings from other legendary artists.  I sure would love to hear rehearsal tapes and demos by the Statesmen, Blackwoods, or Imperials!

Review: Triumphant Quartet – Everyday

This is the latest mainline effort from Triumphant Quartet.  A big reason for this group’s success is the stability of the lineup of David Sutton, Clayton Inman, Scott Inman, Eric Bennett, and Jeff Stice.

Tracks:

1. Jesus Built This Church On Love – This is an interesting start to the CD.  David Sutton sings the lead on an arrangement of this classic Joel Hemphill song that is soulful, yet understated.  There is a choir backing the quartet on this number, which adds to the soulful sound as well.  It’s not flashy, but a solid start to the disc.  8/10
2. Everyday – This is a masterful cover of the old Oak Ridge Boys tune.  Clayton Inman sings the verses with Sutton singing the lead on the chorus.  Eric Bennett gets to drag the bottom of the chorus a little.  The contrast with the lower vocals on the bridge is immaculate.  The background harmonies on the channel leading into the chorus and really nice too.  This is a high energy song that should do extremely well on radio.  Great job!  10/10
3. Somebody Died For Me – Country flavored ballad featuring Scott Inman.  Like I’ve noticed more recently, this song lyrically has a military theme, but is well crafted by writers Christy Sutherland and Kyle Matthews.  Inman does a great job on this song.  It really sounds a lot like the kind of material Gold City is doing these days, it’s similar musically to “What Children Believe” on GC’s Moment Of Truth.  Scott actually sounds a bit like Daniel Riley on the bridge with some nice background harmonies behind him.  That’s never a bad thing.  Another really strong song.  9/10
4. Amazed At The Change – This was the title cut to the latest CD by Liberty Quartet and was penned by Rodney Griffin.  The versions are fairly similar, but this one is a little bouncier and a little more acoustic mountain flavored in the instrumental track.  Both are good.  I think I like Liberty’s tag to the song better, but I like the background harmony change on the last chorus that Triumphant does here.  It actually sounds a bit reminiscent of the “War is over…” descant in John Lennon’s Christmas song “So This Is Christmas.”  Solid song.  7.5/10
5. Do You Know That You Know That You Know – Mid to uptempo song written by Scott Inman that has a cajun feel to it.  Scott sings the verses with a nice key change between the 2nd and 3rd verses.  The harmonies are smooth on the chorus.  Solid song.  7/10
6. When The Trumpet Sounds – Mid to uptempo that starts with the chorus sung with only a drum accompaniment.  David Sutton has the lead the whole way through and does a fine job.  Eric Bennett really drags the bottom on the choruses.  Nice song by  Wayne Haun and Joel Lindsey.  There’s a nice higher tag to this one.  It’s also neat the way they continually build the instrumental track.  A banjo enters the mix after the first verse, then some brass comes in on the last chorus.  I’ll bet this is a great concert tune.  8/10
7. One Drop Of Blood – There’s not a bass in gospel music that can carry a power ballad like Eric Bennett, and he does a wonderful job on this great ballad by Jerry Goff and Wayne Haun.  Nice harmonies on this one, and I can’t overstate Bennett’s masterful job on the verses.  The first two choruses are in trio form with Bennett and the two Inmans.  The chorus is then repeated with Sutton taking the lead and some nice moving harmonies.  Great song!  9.5/10
8. God’s Home – Midtempo driving country tune from the pen of Dianne Wilkinson.  Nice tune with some great harmonies with a nice bridge of “Working On A Building” leading to a key change.  There’s a false tag and then some nice piano playing from Jeff Stice.  Then the last few lines are repeated to a tag.  7.5/10
9. What A Wonderful Day – Joe Moscheo’s classic from the Prophets Quartet is given a cowboy swing treatment by the guys.  David Sutton shines on this song, his vocal on this song is very strong.  It’s actually set at a little faster tempo than I’m used to, but it’s a nice change.  The harmonies are nice, I’ve always liked this song.  This is a commendable job with some nice modern harmonies.  8.5/10
10. The Day Of Our Lord – Nice flowing ballad by Paula Stefanovich.  This has a very anthemic style, and Clayton Inman performs the lead perfectly.  There are several duet lines as well in the verses and some nice use of unison that splits into 4 part harmony.  This is a very catchy song.  It’s a very good song to end the disc with.  There’s a great bridge of “The King Is Coming” and then a key change (of which there are actually several) and the tag is performed in a round, with a last power “the day of our Lord” to finish the song.  9.5/10

Overall:  9 This is an excellent CD from Triumphant, with some nice variety in musical style.  While “Everyday” isn’t a gospel song per se, I think its message is very much applicable, and an illustration of Christian living, so I’m personally glad Triumphant decided to record the song.  Nevermind the fact that the song plays to each of their strengths.  “Somebody Died For Me” could easily be done by Gold City, “What A Wonderful Day” is a great throwback, and “The Day Of Our Lord” is a stirring anthem, while “One Drop Of Blood” is a classic ballad, and should become a signature song for Eric Bennett.  This is a most enjoyable album and easily a must-have for any fan of good SG music and quartet singing.