The Pligrim Wonders - Live in Canton, Mississippe / Back

The Pilgrim Wonders

Live In Canton, Mississippi

Back - Better Than Ever

The wait is finally over. The Pilgrim Wonders’ live recording from 2004 is now available. And, you definitely want to add it to your collection. The CD is titled Live in Canton, Mississippi, Back – Better Than Ever. It was recorded at The Canton United Methodist Church, where the Rev. Leon Collier is pastor.

When you listen to this project for the first time, make sure you have given yourself ample time to play and enjoy the entire CD. It is a live recording and you will enjoy sitting back and just letting The Pilgrim Wonders minister to you. There are ten (10) songs on this project. However, there are twelve (12) tracks because "God’s Got A Mansion For Me" is divided into two parts. And there is a Reprise to "His Precious Love."

One of the first things you notice about this project is the effective use of horns in some of the arrangements. You should really appreciate the horn arrangements on this project. It is such a refreshing departure from just the keyboards and guitars.

The project begins with an exciting introduction by John Woodard. Thereafter, the group moves into “Lord I’m Coming.” Calvin April really works this song. Even though the group has not recorded in many years, it is apparent that the voices are still as strong as ever. In fact, it is not a stretch to say that the voices are stronger. Mr. April also sings lead on "Save Me," "God’s Got A Mansion For Me," "His Precious Love," and "Grateful." Of course, no recording by The Pilgrim Wonders would be complete without Mr. April singing lead on the song that made them a household name – "The Time Is Now." The only thing Mr. April had to say to let everyone know where they were headed was “does anybody now what time it is?” Wow. What an awesome rendition of this selection from the repertoire of The Pilgrim Wonders. You get the impression that the audience was waiting all night for this song. The audience participation can really be felt on this song. After all, every fan of The Pilgrim Wonders probably knows ALL the words to this song. So, the audience and the Church’s Mass Choir sang background on this one. The only disappointment is that, although almost 6 minutes long, the song is cut-off in the middle of the drive.

Lacy Robinson takes over lead duty on "Salvation." With a comment about the downtrodden as an intro to the song, Mr. Robinson puts a great deal of energy into this song and really delivers the message of salvation. He also sings lead on "Crying Days." Listen closely to the guitars on this song. We’ll let you draw your on conclusion as to what group the strumming brings to mind.

Johnny Harris does the lead duties on “Heaven Don’t Come Easy.” This is one of the songs that you will find yourself player over and over. It has a strong message to it. In addition, Mr. Harris is excellent on this song. This song is one of the many that showcases the tight harmony that flowed through each of the songs on this project.

One of the true jewels on this project is "Amazing Grace.” Now, this song has been recorded so many times until you would think that nothing else could be done to it in order for there to be a felling of newness. Well, The Pilgrim Wonders dispels that belief. Their version is done A cappella. The harmony on this song is exceptional. You have got to hear this song. If you need any additional encouragement to acquire this CD here it is. This song is, alone, reason to purchase the CD.

The songs are not in the order in which they were performed at the live recording. However, the placement of each song is right where it should be.

As you can probably tell from the comments, this is an awesome CD. The two complaints about the project are there is no video of the live recording. In order for there to be a video, The Pilgrim Wonders would have to do what The Mighty Clouds of Joy did with their “In The House of The Lord, Live In Houston.” The other complaint is the shorting of the song “The Time is Now.” However, these observations should not prevent you from adding this CD to your collection.

If you like good gospel quartet singing than you must have this new offering from The Pilgrim Wonders. The CD should be in stores across the country very soon. If you are not able to find it at your favorite music store, you can purchase a copy by contacting the group at (225) 955-6138 or (601) 859-9268. By clicking on Crying Days you can listen to that track. We give The Pilgrim Wonders’ "Live In Canton, Mississippi, Back – Better Than Ever" a 9.5 out of 10.

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