In January 2009, The Superstar transitioned to the other shore.  Fortunate for us, we still have his music.  In addition to the music, we have a video his group recorded in 1993.  Therefore, for the month of April we review the video by Tommy Ellison & The Singing Stars titled LIVE.

The video was recorded at The O. C. I. Building in Atlanta, GA.  The layout of the band was great. It did not distract from the main event, the singing of Harvey and the guest artists. The camera angles varied and uniquely accompanied each song. In other words, when the cameras should have been on the crowd they were.

The stage is very large, so the guys have plenty of room to move around on the stage. Consider the fact that the background singers are also the musicians. So, on stage are The Superstar, Sam, Dennis, Big O and the drummer.  Thus, they had plenty of room to showcase their showmanship.

Whenever you saw Tommy Ellison & The Singing Stars in concert you have to check your audio and visual to ensure their was not a full band hidden somewhere at the venue. In other words, three guitars often sound like an entire array of instruments. Well, for this LIVE recording, there are no keyboards. There are no synthesizers. There are no horns. What you get is what you came to expect when you saw the guys in concert.  And, that is, three (3) of the best musicians to ever grace the stage of any gospel concert.

On this video there are twelve songs – “Closer,” “Adorable One,” “At The Gate I Know,” “Trying To Get To Heaven,” “Holy Ghost,” “Let This Be A Less To You (Drunk Driver),” “Sailing,” “Power,” “Crossroads,” “Grandma's House,” “Serve The Lord,” and “Keep The Faith.”  The DVD is 60 minutes in length.  The group is at their best on each song.  They give you a full concert that is full of energy from beginning to end.  There is audience participation throughout the video.  A concert by this group would be complete without "Sailing."  And, they sail.  In fact, members of the audience join the guys on "Sailing," just like you would expect at their concert.

The quality of the sound is superb, no highs and lows.  The recording level is consistent throughout the video.  You will appreciate the lighting. There are times when the audience is in the “black.”  However, at no time is no significant diminishment of the lighting on the group members.  By the way, the stage decoration was fitting for the song service. The background decoration does not distract at all from what is happening on the stage. In addition, there was no one standing or sitting to the side of the stage. In other words, there was no distraction from the song service by others leaning on equipment or just hinging around the stage.

There are many close-ups of the members of the group.  You really have a front row seat with this video.  You can readily see the joy and excitement in the guys' facial expressions.
 

The two (2) downside to the video are no interviews and no naming of the members of the group.  For the gospel enthusiasts, they know the guys.  However, for future generation they may never learn the name of the members of the group.  From a historical prospective, that is unfortunate.  You will not find any written information about the performances on the video. What you will find is 60 minutes of good old fashion gospel quartet music that is appealing to both the ears and eyes.

 
If you like good hard hitting gospel quartet music than you must add the DVD LIVE from Tommy Ellison & The Singing Stars to your collection.  To our knowledge, this is the only video concert recording by The Superstar.  Don't miss the opportunity to add this video to your collection. 

The video is definitely 'priceless.'  We give this video a 10 out of 10.  To purchase your copy of this video click LIVE.   Click on the picture above to view a clip from the video.***