The Zionaires - Still Blessed CD Review

The Zionaires

Still Blessed

This month we present to some and introduce to others The Zionaires. Still Blessed is the group�s sophomore project. When it comes to hard hitting gospel quartet music this group has develop as being one of the best in the delivery of hard hitting gospel quartet music. Therefore, this month we review their new project Still Blessed.

The members of the group are Michael Palmer, Wayne Hayes, Peter Fredrick, Juan Brown, Donald Fredrick, James Walker, and Joseph Key. Many will remember Michael Palmer as a former member of Willie Neal Johnson and The New Gospel Keynotes.

After spending several years sharpening their musical talent, The Zionaires released their first project entitled Got What You Deserve in 2003. On that project they called on Jesse Jeffcoat of The Five Singing Sons of North and together gave us the ever popular �Just Wanna Be Remembered.�

The group members� love for God and sincerity in singing praises to our Lord and Savior are definitely revealed in this project. The fifteen tracks on this project will certainly get your feet moving.

The group initially released this new project the beginning of 2006. The project was picked up by LowRush Music (a new record label). The label enhanced what was already a good project. The enhancement was not only in the sound, but also in the CD's cover and artwork. If The Zionaires have not changed the artwork on their website, you can visit it and see the difference between the initial release and the final release by the label. Fortunately, the label did not change the extraordinary vocals and delivery talents of the group members.

Often a group will have one good lead singer and others that will from time to time sing lead on one song on a project. However, The Zionaires have three exceptional lead singers. They are Michael Palmer, Donald Fredrick and Joseph Keys. You will immediately realize that these guys can really sing.

The songs on the project are �You've Got To Move,� �Blessing Business,� �Grab Your Blessings,� �Keep Going On,� �He's Coming Again,� �Stop Complaining,� �Learn To Pray,� �It's Your Time,� �God Will Fix It,� �Nobody's Fault But Mine,� �I Found Out (Try Jesus),� �That's What I'll Do,� �He Lives,� �Jesus Died For You,� and �Things Are Never As Bad As They Seem.� All of the songs are worthy of your attention. There are few we would like to spotlight.

�You�ve Got To Move� will certainly have you moving. The message is clear � that when God gets ready you�ve got to move. The background harmony is tight. The instrumentation is just right. Some will compare this song to one done by Keith �Wonderboy� Johnson and The Spiritual Voices. The comparison is a tribute to the fact that The Zionaires� vocal talents are as powerful as any gospel quartet group on the road today.

�Stop Complaining,� will cause you to take inventory of all that is going on in your life and it will have you thanking God that things are not as difficult as they could be. If you still find reason to complain about anything after listening to this song, you really need to �Learn To Pray.� Michael and Joseph Keys share lead duties on this song.

�Nobody�s Fault But Mine� is a reworked version of the title song from the group�s freshman recording � Got What You Deserve. The song does contain an important message and reminder that you cannot blame anyone but yourself for not being ready to make it into Heaven. If you are looking for a drive song on this project, this is the one. It will probably receive the most airplay. It is a great gospel quartet song. The other drive song on the project is "It's Your Time."

�Things Are Never As Bad As They Seem� picks up on the theme of �Stop Complaining.� Michael delivers a powerful performance with this ballad. And, the message is clear, no matter what you are going through �things are never as bad as they seem.�

The Zionaires are a gospel quartet group that has blend a bit of the past with the present to give us the sound of futuristic gospel quartet music with scripturally based messages. This group should have a lasting positive impact on the lives of many and on the gospel music industry.

If you like good gospel quartet singing than you must have this new offering from The Zionaires. We give The Zionaires� "Still Blessed" a 9 out of 10. The CD should be available everywhere. If you are not able to find it at your favorite music store, you can purchase a copy by clicking Still Blessed. By clicking on It's Your Time you can listen to that track.

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