Hammer Down, Florida Bound!

I’m going to be headed off on vacation this afternoon, so I will be away from the blog catching some rays and chasing my kids on the beach for the next week.  Hopefully I can keep my 16 month old from ingesting too much sand.  Anyways, if something major develops, I should have net access to blog about it, otherwise, I will see all you dear readers in a week!  Consider this an open thread.

Review: The Beach Boys – That’s Why God Made The Radio

Up to this point, all my in depth reviews have been on Southern Gospel albums, though I’ve occasionally mentioned other music, and even did a mini-review of a Brian Wilson album.  That streak ends here, though this is likely to be an aberration instead of the start of a trend.  My love for the Beach Boys is no secret on this blog, so if I were ever to make an exception to my SG only reviews, it should come as no surprise that it would be for the new album from the surviving Beach Boys, including Brian Wilson, on their 50th anniversary.  On this album are Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks, though Marks is credited solely with guitar work and no vocals, with long time Beach Boys and Brian Wilson sideman Jeffrey Foskett providing falsetto vocals.  Wilson produced the album, while Mike Love served as executive producer.

Tracks:

1. Think About The Days – This is a wordless opening to the track composed by Brian Wilson and Joe Thomas featuring acappella vocals from The Beach Boys (plus Foskett) with some light piano and french horn added.  Hearkening back to the “Our Prayer” that was to open the Smile album before resurfacing on 20/20, it sets a touch of a melancholy mood for the album with its minor key, but the vocal harmonies are stunningly beautiful.  Even after 50 years, the group can still create effortless harmonies that shimmer. 9.5/10
2. That’s Why God Made The Radio – The first new single from the Beach Boys in roughly 20 years also serves as the title track to the album.  Written by Brian Wilson, Jim Peterik, Larry Millas, and Joe Thomas, it is a midtempo tune with a bit of a doo-wop feel.  Wilson has the lead on the verses, with Al Jardine taking the last two lines of each verse with full on group harmonies on the chorus.  There’s a bridge that has a bit of a harder edge to start out with some incredible harmony on the phrase “a whole new generation” that is repeated leading to a tag that has the round like vocals that you find on classics like “California Girls” or “God Only Knows.”  It’s better than anyone realistically could have expected from the group, but the best is yet to come… 9/10
3. Isn’t It Time – This is an infectious midtempo number that my 5 year old daughter has immediately latched on to as her favorite song.  Written by Wilson, Love, Peterik, Millas, and Thomas, it’s got a bouncy rhythm that is driven by a ukulele of all instruments, and features Brian Wilson on the first verse with some duet lines by either Al Jardine or Bruce Johnston, it’s a little hard to tell.  The chorus features Foskett, Johnston, and Jardine to my ears. There’s a nice little vocal lead in to the second verse, performed by Mike Love.  The bridge features Foskett and Love with some gorgeous background harmonies.  The chorus is repeated with Love taking the first two lines an octave down from where it had previously been sung.  I think this is probably the most radio friendly song on the disc.  It’s incredibly catchy and will have you singing along.  9.5/10
4. Spring Vacation – This is a mid to uptempo pop tune written by Mike Love, Brian Wilson, and Joe Thomas.  Love takes the lead on the verse with Bruce Johnston taking a line or two from him.  Brian Wilson takes the melody on the chorus.  This song is a quintessential Beach Boys “fun in the sun” type song, and would be right behind “Isn’t It Time” as a radio ready song.  There’s a really nice chord progression in the verses.  The harmony on the bridge is outstanding.  When you think of The Beach Boys, this is the sound that comes to mind.  9/10
5. The Private Life Of Bill And Sue – Written by Brian Wilson and Joe Thomas, this is a tropical flavored song that is a commentary on the reality TV phenomenon.  There’s more than a slight resemblance to “South American” from Wilson’s Imagination solo album.  Wilson has the melody through the entire song with some great harmony behind him on the chorus and some nice falsetto work from Jeffrey Foskett.  The radio narration at the end of the song is hilarious if you can catch it.  It’s a fun little song, but easily the weakest song on the disc.  6.5/10
6. Shelter – Again from the pen of Wilson and Thomas, this is a midtempo ballad style song that again features Wilson’s vocals on the verses.  Jeffrey Foskett and Mike Love share the melody on the choruses.  This song is quite reminiscent of what you heard on Brian’s eponymous 1988 solo album, minus the 80s production.  Again, there are gorgeous backing harmonies throughout the song.  It’s a pretty solid song.  7.5/10
7. Daybreak Over The Ocean – This Mike Love composition, according to what I’ve seen online, is an outtake from a never released Mike Love solo album.  The credits bear this out, as the primary vocalists are Mike, Christian, and Hayleigh Love along with Adrian Baker.  The other Beach Boys are credited with “Additional Vocals.”  This is a slower tropical flavored tune that seems to hearken back to the best elements of Love’s “Sumahama” from The Beach Boys’ L.A. (Light Album).  There are simply thrilling harmonies behind Love’s lead vocal, and this is one of Love’s best vocal performances in recent memory.  The “bring back” section has been compared elsewhere to the end section of the late 60s single “Breakaway”, and it’s a valid comparison.  I happen to like this song a lot, it has beautiful harmony.  8.5/10
8. Beaches In Mind – The “fun in the sun” style returns on this song penned by Love, Wilson, and Thomas.  Brian Wilson takes the melody on the chorus, with Love taking the melody on the verses.  There are some really nice lead guitar licks that I’m guessing are provided by David Marks.  This is another solid Beach Boys-esque tune.  7.5/10
9. Strange World – Written by Brian Wilson and Joe Thomas, this is another ballad style tune.  Wilson takes the lead on this song and turns in a really nice performance.  The “bum-bum” from the tympani adds a dramatic flair to the chorus.  This song is very hard to describe, but there are some really nice vocals and neat chords.  It’s a song that seems to build in intensity throughout.  That said, it is a really nice tune.  8.5/10
10. From There To Back Again – From this point the forward, the album really shines.  The next three songs may be the best the Beach Boys have put to record since Pet Sounds.  Wilson and Thomas penned this tune, and for the first half or so of the song, Al Jardine performs what may be his best ever vocal as a Beach Boy.  His voice sounds just as strong and clear as it did in 1965.  The harmony behind Jardine’s vocals is absolutely glistening.  About halfway through, some of the Wilson composing magic rears it’s head, as there are pauses, tempo and rhythm changes that are on par with the experimentation he did in the Pet Sounds days.  Simply amazing.  10/10
11. Pacific Coast Highway – Again from Wilson and Love, this is a short tune that starts with some beautiful acappella oohs from the group.  Brian takes the lead on the song, it’s a message of goodbye that is 1 minute 47 seconds of sheer beauty.  The full harmony on the final word “goodbye” is beautiful and poignant.  10/10
12. Summer’s Gone – This song was written to be the last Beach Boys song ever recorded.  Composed by Brian Wilson, Joe Thomas, and Jon Bon Jovi (!), this is a beautiful, wistful ballad.  Wilson has the melody surounded by lush, thick harmonies from the rest of the group.  It’s a lyric of farewell with shimmering vibes and percussion.  It’s as gorgeous as anything Wilson has ever composed.  It concludes the album with a very melancholy feel, not totally unlike the way “Caroline, No” ended Pet Sounds.  It’s a fitting end to what very well may be the final Beach Boys album.  As you hear the sound of waves receding with light chimes as the song concludes, you can’t help but think that this is how The Beach Boys should bid farewell.  Wow.  10/10

Overall:  9.5  Maybe it’s just the fan in me.  Maybe it’s because of the sheer vastness of the amount of time since The Beach Boys recorded a new studio album, much less one with an engaged and in control Brian Wilson.  Whatever the reason, I really love this album.  Is it perfect?  No.  “Bill and Sue” is pretty much a throwaway, filler track.  “Shelter” is OK, but not great.  I’d have liked to have heard more from Johnston (who is almost invisible outside of the harmony stack on the album), Marks, and Jardine.  The album from the title track to “Strange World” is a bit of a mix of mostly good songs, with a few really good ones mixed in.  However, the final three tracks on this album rate with some of the best music The Beach Boys have ever put to record.

While they may not have a sure-fire radio hit on the album (though I think there are some good contenders, especially with what you hear on secular radio today!), the album already debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts, and is far above what any realistic fan of the group should have expected from them.  The lead vocals are all well done, the instrumental tracks are great, the vocal harmonies are still without par, and it’s a great way for The Beach Boys to celebrate their 50th anniversary and ride off into the Southern California sunset.  If you like harmony, and like pop music, do yourself a favor and pick up a piece of history in this monumental album.  You’ll be glad you did.

Review: Nelons – Come On Home

This is the newest release from the Nelons.  Produced by Jason Clark and Bill Gaither, the CD features vocals from Amber Thompson, Kelly Nelon Clark, and Jason Clark, with a guest appearance on the first track by Gaither.

Tracks:

1. I Have Seen The Children – This is a mid tempo tune by Gloria Gaither and Paul Overstreet that features Amber Thompson.  It is fairly acoustic driven, though there are strings behind a prominent banjo.  After the first verse and chorus, Bill Gaither makes an appearance on the first part of the second verse.  The trio finish the verse and then are joined by Gaither’s bass vocals on the last verse and throughout the last chorus.  While Bill is no Rex Nelon, it is nice to hear the current Nelons lineup with a bass vocal present.  It’s a solid tune.  8/10
2. Come On Home – This is a classic Bill and Gloria Gaither tune that is given an acoustic ballad treatment and again features Amber Thompson.  There’s some really pretty harmony, and it’s a bit unusual in that Kelly Clark sings the harmony part above Amber’s melody throughout the song.  It’s a beautiful song with smooth harmonies. 9/10
3. Come To The River – Written by Suzanne Jennings and Woody Wright, this is probably the most uptempo song on the project, but it is nowhere near barn burner territory.  It is, however, one of the best cuts on the CD.  It is again acoustic instrument driven (this will become a recurring theme in this review, trust me).  Amber, Kelly, and Jason share solo lines on the first three lines of the first verse before joining together to finish the verse out and head in to the chorus.  Kelly has some nice moving harmony parts at the end of the chorus.  The same pattern is repeated for the second verse.  I like the track to this song, the “river” theme of the song is enhanced by percussion that is reminiscent of the puffing of a steamboat, not totally unlike what Brian Wilson did in secular music with his solo suite “Rio Grande.”  9.5/10
4. Somebody’s Praying – This classic by John C. Elliott starts with fiddle before acoustic guitars take over the track and Kelly Clark lends her smooth, tender alto vocals to the song.  After the first verse by Kelly, Amber and Jason lend their harmonies to the rest of the song.  It’s a very smooth, pretty version of the song. 8/10
5. Down To The River – Delivered completely acappella, Amber Thompson starts off this tune solo, then Kelly Clark joins halfway through the first verse.  Amber and Jason Clark take the second verse as a duet, then the third time through Kelly rejoins to complete the harmony.  It’s a neat way to do the song and give the listener a lesson in how the group’s harmonies are constructed. 8/10
6. The Diff’rence Is In Me – Written in 1979 by Bill and Gloria Gaither, this mid tempo tune has a bit of a shuffle feel to it, and features Amber Thompson, with Jason and Kelly providing backing harmonies.  Amber is very quickly becoming one of the most commanding female vocalists in this genre, and this song gives her an opportunity to shine.  She doesn’t disappoint. 9/10
7. Excuse Me, Are You Jesus – One of the few truly new songs this CD, this acoustic ballad was written by Bill Gaither, Gloria Gaither, and Larry Gatlin.  It’s a story song about a man rushing through an airport that crashes into an apple stand that was run by a blind girl.  He misses his flight by taking the time to help the girl put her apple stand back together and gives her some money to pay for the ruined apples.  She asks him, “Excuse me, are you Jesus?”  It’s a terrific lyric that Jason Clark sings very well.  This is another highlight of the recording.  9/10
8. Handful Of Dust – Written by Anthony Arata, this is a mid to uptempo tune that has a bit of a driving acoustic country feel.  Kelly Clark takes the melody on this song and turns in a nice performace.  The group blend on the chorus is especially smooth.  I like the sound of the group with Kelly on the melody with Amber above her and Jason below.  The tag is nice, as it starts with some stratospherically high “oohs” that gently make their way back to earth.  8/10
9. Morning Has Broken – Elanor Farjean’s timeless classic is performed expertly by Amber Thompson.  This is some of the highest singing I’ve heard from Amber, and she delivers the high notes sweetly and effortlessly.  Amber has the first verse and a half solo, before her mother joins her for some duet lines on the second verse.  The same thing is repeated on the third verse.  The first verse is repeated with Jason joining in to create some beautiful trio harmony.  8.5/10
10. When He Talked About His Home – Originally recorded by the Gaither Vocal Band, this Bill Gaither, Gloria Gaither, and Woody Wright penned ballad is performed by Jason Clark here.  Jason does a nice job on the story telling lyric that Guy Penrod carried so well on the GVB version.  It’s a solid rendition of the song, but I prefer the GVB version.  7.5/10
11. The Sun’s Coming Up – Dee Gaskins classic, which was one of the Nelons’ first big chart hits, finds itself re-recorded here.  The arrangement is a bit more mountain influenced than the pure country sound of the original, but the vocal arrangement is almost the exact same as the original, except the tag doesn’t climb like the original version did.  It’s interesting hearing the current lineup of the group tackle this Nelons classic track.  I almost with Bill Gaither had added his bass vocals to this track as well.  As it is, it’s excellent.  9/10
12. I Choose The Lord – Written by Micah Henson, this is another mid tempo acoustic tune that has a bit of a driving feel again.  Jason Clark takes the lead on this song and does a fine job.  At the end of the chorus, there’s a repeat of the phrase “and to beat it all” by Amber that when I hear it makes me pine for a solid bass vocal like a Tim Riley or Richard Sterban.  It’s a solid song.  8/10
13. I Heard It First On The Radio – This is another cover of a Bill and Gloria Gaither penned tune that was previously recorded by the Gaither Vocal Band.  It’s a credible rendition that features Amber with a smooth lead vocal.  Jason Clark takes the melody for a while toward the end of the song before Amber reclaims it.  To be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of this song when the GVB recorded it.  Still not a huge fan.  The performance is fine, the harmony is smooth, and Amber does a fine job on her lead vocal.  In fact, I may even prefer this version to the GVB, but I’ve just always been neutral on the song.  7/10
14. Jesus, I Just Wanna Say I’m Sorry – Jason Clark contributed this song.  It’s an acoustic guitar driven ballad that again features Amber Thompson.  It’s a pretty tune that Amber deftly weaves her way through, with nice lyrics that paint a poignant picture of our journey with Christ and a plea for forgiveness of our failures.  This is another real highlight of the disc.  It’s a testament that Amber can take a lyric that lends itself toward an older, more experienced believer and convey the message so convincingly.  Great song.  9/10
15. The Little Brown Church – The album closes on this mid tempo Jason Clark penned tune.  Jason takes the melody on this song that hearkens back to the lyric of “Church In The Wildwood” in several spots.  There’s a nice smooth blend on this mountain flavored track.  It’s a well executed end to the album.  7.5/10

Overall: 8  Readers of my generation who also listened to secular music may remember when the television station MTV actually played music and had a show called “Unplugged” that featured stars of the day on a sound stage with (mostly) acoustic instruments.  This album is “The Nelons Unplugged.”  Nearly all of the instrumentation is acoustic, and the entire recording has a mellow, mountain flavor to it.  There are spots in this recording that remind of you of The Isaacs in style.  That isn’t a bad thing.  I could have stood some more upbeat tracks, but this album has a “concept album” type feel, and it succeeds very well in staying true to that concept.

Amber Thompson is very much in the forefront on this album, and her performances leave no doubt that she deserves the spotlight.  She is already one of the top young vocalists in SG today.  Kelly’s vocals are impeccable on this album, with her work on “Somebody’s Praying” keeping the song from the ranks of “ANOTHER version of this song?” territory, and hearing her sing “The Sun’s Coming Up” again is a special treat.  The acoustic, mountain flavor of the album really plays to Jason Clark’s vocal strengths, he does very well in this style.

Does this album measure up against their previous release, Beside Still Waters?  Not really, but then again, I don’t think that was the idea behind this project.  Come On Home is a chance for the Nelons to scale back the arrangements, and really let listeners become acquainted with each of the vocalists that make up the current configuration of the group.  It does this exceedingly well.  While there probably isn’t a chart topping single on the CD (though “Come To The River” or “Jesus, I Wanna Say I’m Sorry” would likely do well as radio songs), what this CD does give you is a pleasant, easy listen that can soothe a troubled mind.  This would make a great CD to pop in when life seems to be spinning out of control, as it works well to soothe and calm the listener.  If you’ve not heard the current version of the Nelons, pick a copy of this album up, as with 15 tracks it is a great way to immerse yourself in the current version of The Nelons.  Great job by all involved!

More Changes For The Dixie Echoes

According to Daniel Mount’s blog, big changes are coming the Dixie Echoes’ way.  Michael Helwig and Mike Jennings have both resigned from the group.  Coupled with Stewart Varnado’s recent departure, effectively the Echoes are left with just the father-son Shelnut tandem of Randy and Scoot (Randy, Jr.).  Helwig’s statement on his departure is very intriguing, to say the least.  Daniel states in the comments of the posts that he has been in contact with Scoot Shelnut, and the group will find fill-ins and will not cancel any dates.  Please be in prayer for Jennings, Helwig, and the Dixie Echoes as they all transition to new endeavors.