Brandon Coomer, author of the Coomer Cove SG blog, had been undertaking the monumental task recently of constructing a tribute website for Gold City.  He has now launched the site officially at GoldCityTribute.com.  I’ve been honored and happy to contribute a little information and some proofreading and input behind the scenes as Brandon has been working feverishly on the site, and I’m excited at how well it has come together.  As Brandon mentions, there will be a lot more to come on this site, he’s got some lofty goals for it, so keep checking back.  Great job Brandon!

To all of you readers out there, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!  Take time to thank God for the blessings He’s given us, though we don’t deserve any of it.  Enjoy the holiday with family and friends, if you are traveling, be safe!

Just a quick reminder that today is the day that Palmetto State will be backing up Wynonna on Oprah’s show.  If you can stomach watching Oprah, tune in and let us all know what you think.    I’ll be enroute home from work, so I’ll miss out on the broadcast.

With this being a short week and the season to give thanks, I thought it would be appropriate to turn the attention to SG songs that express the sentiment.  There aren’t many finer songs that do so than this classic from the 1983 Cathedrals album, Live In Atlanta.  There’s no screaming high ending, no weird chord progressions, or subsonic bass singing.  What you get is a subdued yet beautiful ballad by Kirk Talley, Glen Payne, Mark Trammell, and George Youce, with some of the prettiest singing you’ll hear from that lineup.  The lyrics are really the strength of the song, and the no frills arrangement really highlights the message well.  Pull out your copy and spin it up again.  It’s a great way to get into the proper frame of mind for Thanksgiving.  I’d love to hear the Booth Brothers apply their smooth vocals to this song.

A couple of interesting things have come out recently…

• According to a press release from the Judy Nelon Agency, Aaron Minick and the Palmetto State Quartet will be traveling with Wynonna’s Christmas tour this year, including an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show on November 24.
• Aaron McCune has reportedly resurfaced with Ron Blackwood’s Blackwood Quartet.  That would make the lineup John Rulapaugh, Josh Garner, Blackwood, and McCune, which has the makings of a pretty solid vocal group.
• Parker Jonathan, one of the most frequently asked about former SG personalities, has started a trio with his wife and an unnamed third member.  Parker is supposedly working on a website for the group, known as The Jonathans.
• Ernie Haase and Signature Sound are moving out from under the Gaither umbrella, so to speak.  It will be interesting to see how their momentum continues.

In my “review” of the Gaither Homecoming concert in Augusta I mentioned young Logan Smith.  Here is a video of him singing with Ivan Parker and Ben Speer at NQC.

Saturday night I attended the Gaither Homecoming Concert in my hometown of Augusta, GA.  Featured artists were Charlotte Ritchie, Gordon Mote, The Isaacs, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, Lynda Randle, and of course the Gaither Vocal Band.  Regrettably I did not make a set list but it was very different than when I saw them a few months ago in Greenville, SC.  The GVB has gelled a good bit more since then and sounded phenomenal.  Bill did a great job of featuring each of the Vocal Band members equally.  Ernie Haase & Signature Sound did several songs from their new Christmas CD “Every Light That Shines at Christmas.”  I picked up a copy and I’ve enjoyed the variety on it, but it’s not the type you would play at a Christmas party for background music like the one released by the Gaither Vocal Band two years ago.  The Isaacs were not at the last concert I went to so it was great to see them.  They did several songs from “Naturally: An Almost A Capella Collection.”  They did some really complicated a capella arrangements and some songs with just a simple guitar accompaniment.   “Does Jesus Care” was a standout to me.

Two highlights (of many) from the second half was Sonya and Becky Isaacs singing with Charlotte Ritchie on “Go Rest High On That Mountain.”  What an incredible trio these ladies made.  Another highlight that got a great response from the sold out crowd was young Logan Smith singing “What A Lovely Name.”  Those of you that have heard twelve year old before will agree that he sounds more like Vestal Goodman than Vestal did.

The only thing I purchased that night was the new EH&SS Christmas CD at their table.  They were running a special for $5 more that included the previous CD, “Christmas With Ernie Haase & Signature Sound” along with a red tote bag and a magnet.  The cover was edited as to not show former pianist Roy Webb.  For those of you that are suckers for alternate covers (like myself) you may want to pick one up.

This is the latest recording from Liberty Quartet from Boise, ID and features Keith Waggoner, Tenor; Dan Gilbert, Lead; Jordan Cragun, Baritone; Royce Mitchell, Bass with Doran Ritchey as pianist, though Doran has since left the group to join up with Phil Cross.  While this is an independent release, it was recorded at Crossroads’ Studios.

Tracks:

1. The Journey – This celtic flavored midtempo number was written by Doran Ritchey and Jim Davis and is a fine way to start the album.  I particularly the way they mix up the use of unison and two part harmonies in addition to the full four part quartet harmonies.  I also love the harmonies on the bridge.  This is a solid opener with nice vocals.  8.5/10
2. He Came Down To My Level – Dwight Liles’ classic is given an acoustic, driving country feel, and even features a mouth harp prominently in the track.  It really gives the song a unique feel from other versions.  Bass singer Royce Mitchell is featured on the verses and he does a stand up job on them.  The vocal arrangement on this song is quite different than any other one you’ve probably heard, and that’s not a bad thing.  Mitchell gets the opportunity to smack some nice low notes on the last chorus when the harmonies are inverted.  I like the way Liberty made this song their own.  9/10
3. I Made It Mine – Jordan Cragun gets his first feature on this Doran Ritchey penned tune.  It is given an acoustic/mountain midtempo feel.  Cragun’s voice really fits this story type song, and the vocals on the chorus are incredibly smooth.  This song really features some great singing.  This style isn’t normally my favorite, but this is a good song.  8.5/10
4. I Love Living In Grace – This Rodney Griffin tune is given a big band jazz type feel, and this is Liberty at their best.  The verses feature some great four part harmony.  These guys know how to sing, and they excel with the jazzy songs.  Smooth vocals and some bass echoes from Royce Mitchell on the second chorus are highlights.  The key changes and Keith Waggoner takes the melody on the chorus from Dan Gilbert.  This is one of my favorite songs on the CD.  9.5/10
5. Till There Was Jesus – A classic from W. Elmo Mercer is given a soft jazz treatment by the group.  As I said above, Liberty excels with this style.  The track features some nice jazz piano playing.  This is a great performance with some nice harmonies and chords.  Royce Mitchell gets the second verse as a solo and shows off some nice vocals.  The cascading harmonies leading into the second chorus are breathtaking.  This is a simply amazing track.  10/10
6. God Made A Way – John Robinson and Twila LaBar contribute this driving country song.  Dan Gilbert is featured on this tune and shows that he is a more than capable lead singer.  Solid quartet harmonies highlight this track.  This is just a solid, solid song.  7.5/10
7. He Came To Me – This ballad by Jeff Bumgardner is given a slightly progressive feel, and is the only song to feature tenor Keith Waggoner.  Keith is a very underrated tenor that has a nice full, smooth sound.  I really like the syncopated rhythm that shows up in spots in the chorus.  Powerful lyrics and smooth harmonies make this song another highlight of the disc.  9.5/10
8. The Welcome – Doran Ritchey is featured on this song that he penned.  It’s an acoustic ballad, that has some great harmonies.  The message of the song is very strong as well.  I also really like the percussion on the track, it’s very well done.  Solid tune.  7.5/10
9. Too Long – This Doran Ritchey tune is given a fairly straight ahead quartet reading by the group as it bounces along.  The chorus features a few solo pickup lines from Royce Mitchell.  There is some really nice close harmony in the chorus that is easy to miss if you aren’t listening closely.  Mitchell also sings the verses as a bass solo.  This is an enjoyable song.  8/10
10. He’ll Come Through – This straight ahead mid to up tempo song was written by Doran Ritchey.  Dan Gilbert is featured on the verses here and he provides some smooth lead vocals.  Smooth quartet harmonies highlight the chorus.  This is another solid song.  The round like tag on this song is worth mentioning as well, it is very well done.  7.5/10
11. In The Day Of The Lord – Jim Davis and Joel Lindsey penned this ballad, and Jordan Cragun does a fine job on the first verse.  The first chorus features almost a call and response feel from Cragun and the rest of the quartet in unison.  Cragun then sings the second verse.  The quartet comes in with nice harmony on the second that also features some nice quick cascading harmonies.  A bridge in unison builds the intensity to the last chorus again featuring smooth harmonies from the group.  This song fits the quartet like a glove, they really need to continue recording songs in this style.  Great job!  9.5/10
12. Welcome To Heaven – Phil Cross’ classic originally recorded by the Singing Americans closes out the disc.  Lead singer Dan Gilbert really puts his own spin on the song, and doesn’t try to sound like Michael English (or Clayton Inman, for that matter).  I applaud him for resisting the temptation to try and do something that wouldn’t really fit his style.  As it is, he makes the song his own while still showing off some nice range, and there are some subtle differences in the harmonies on the chorus from the original version.  They have some nice passing tones as they change chords that really add a lot to the song.  This is very well done.  9.5/10

Overall: 8.5 Liberty Quartet has produced a very fine album with The Journey.  The group does a great job of selecting songs that fit their voices well.  They have the creativity and ability to add a lot of variety to their recordings without pushing their vocal ranges out of their comfort zones.  The tracks are all very well done, and the vocal performances are great.  These guys know how to sing, and how to sing correctly.  It continues to baffle me why they haven’t been signed by a major label yet, they most certainly have the talent and creativity to be an asset to any label’s roster.  Jordan Cragun has fit in nicely with the group’s sound, Royce Mitchell is an excellent bass singer, Dan Gilbert is a quintessential quartet lead, and Keith Waggoner has one of the finest tenor voices you’ll ever find.  This is a very good CD that you really need to check out.  Great job guys!

Note: This CD was supplied at no cost to the reviewer, however, this fact in no way influences the above review.

I was listening to the Dixie Melody Boys’ project from 1997, 100% Pure Southern Gospel yesterday, and I guess I’d always skipped the last track, which is a recitation entitled “I Love To Tell The Story”.  The recitation is Ed’s response to a letter that was sent to a gospel music publication (Singing News, I’m sure) that criticized groups for selling tapes, T-shirts, and the like.  Ed’s response is very well articulated and thought out, and details some of what all goes in to traveling and recording SG music.  It seems that every few weeks or so, another entertainment/ministry or financial debate rages on various blogs and message boards.  Take some time and seek out this track, I think Ed gives a much needed dose of perspective.

Well, as of 7:30 PM last night, Dale was eating at the On The Border Mexican restaurant across from the Wolfchase Mall here in the Memphis area.  As was yours truly at another table across the room.  With 2 kids that were tired of shopping.  That is all.