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The spotlight this month is on none
other than The Swan
Silvertones. Yes, there
is a group that is committed to keeping that name alive. The group has charted a
course to bring about a resurgence of the sound and style made famous by the
original legendary Swan
Silvertones.
The members of this new assembly of Swans are Marvin Latimore (who sang with the
Legendary Rev. Claude Jeter), Sam Hubbard (who also sang with the Legendary Rev.
Claude Jeter) and Mel Johnson. Mel Johnson is the brother of the late Louis
Johnson. These gentlemen along with Jimi Fluellyn, formerly of
The Highway QCs
and Rev. Billy Houze represent the current lineup. From the names of the
members, you know two things immediately 1) they are seasoned singers; and 2)
they are no stranger to recording good gospel music.
The new CD, Need More Love, was co-produced by Johnny Valentine of
the Mighty Clouds of Joy, Marvin Latimore and Kevin Cloud. Mr. Cloud was the
producer of the highly successful Revived by
The Fantastic Violinaires
in 2008.
Need More Love at times will remind you of the group during the
time period right before Rev. Jeter left for the ministry. Fans of the
Swans
will remember Louis Johnson as the hard shouter, Paul Owens as the crooner of
the group, and the unimaginable falsetto of Rev. Jeter. Well, the new CD
incorporates a little of each of their style and more.
There are many good songs on the
project. The one song that will really have you reminiscing is Only
Believe. Even die hard fans of the Swans should like this one. Mel
Johnson, the younger brother of the late (and former member of
The Swan Silvertones)
Louis Johnson introduces the song. This version of the song is as close to
the original groups version that anyone has been able to duplicate. It is worth
getting a copy of this CD just for this song.
Other songs on the project are New Jerusalem, Let' S Go
To Church, Need More Love, What About You,
I Can Make It, I'll Make It Home Someday, Come
On and Get Your Blessing, Finally Got Myself Together,
Try Mine, and Message/ Prayer.
As you allow The Swan
Silvertones to minister
to you through this CD, notice that the instrumentation in each song never
overshadows the vocals. You will also notice that there is just the right mix of
up-tempo songs and slow ballads.
Although several of the songs have well known titles and are in fact old songs
that have been done by others, you will appreciate
The Swan Silvertones
fresh rendition. They have stamped their unique style on each song and made
them their own.
The Swans
have even taken a 1970s R & B song and turn it into gospel. The song is "Finally
Got Myself Together." Older viewers will probably remember that the 70s
group The Impression
had a mega hit with a song of the same title. Well,
The Swans
version uses the same arrangement and many of the same lyrics to deliver a
timely message for todays gospel listeners.
You may not be able to find this CD
in your local record store. You should be able to purchase it by clicking
on
Need More Love. We give
The Swan Silvertones'
Need More Love an 8.5 out of 10. Click on the title to hear New
Jerusalem."
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