One of the most exciting groups on the road today is The Gospel Four, often referred to in the gospel genre vernacular simply as G4.  In October 2003, MCG Records released the G4’s Ready or Not.  Although the concert was recorded to be released on CD and video, at that time, only the CD was released.  The video, which was copyrighted in 2004, was actually released in 2005.  This power packed video was recorded at Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.    

There are 12 clips on this video, which bares the same title as the CD, Ready or Not.  We reviewed the CD in November 2003.  Therefore, for an assessment of the songs check out the CD review at our Quartet CD Review page.

This video should have come with a warning – Move the furniture and make sure you have plenty of room around you before playing this video. The energy displayed by the group will make it difficult for any viewer to stay seated.  The video opens with a brief interview with Brother George Dean.  The next shot have the guys already on stage moving right into the title track.  They move from song to song with the level of professionalism you would expect from George Dean and the guys. 

The ambience of Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church makes for the perfect setting for this recording.  The stage is certainly large enough for the singers and the musicians.  There is no one hinging around the stage.  Therefore, you are able to focus on the singers and not be distracted by any unnecessary activity on the stage.   

The lighting is great.  There are many close-ups of the members of the group and musicians.  There are also great shots of the audience.  Speaking of the audience, they were really into this song service.  The crowd response is great.  G4 did not really have to ask or prime the crowd to join in the services. 

The quality of the sound is outstanding.  There are no highs or lows in the sound quality.  The recording level is consistent throughout the video. 

The project is vintage G4.  If you are looking for a good video that captures the essence of The Gospel Four, including the high stepping Tony on "New Walk," then you will want to add this video to your collection. 

Overall this is a great video.  Unfortunately, other than the opening interview, you will not find any interviews on this video.  It would have been great to have some of the history of the group on the video.  For the gospel music history buff, a brief interview with all of the group members would have been a plus.   

In spite of the lack of the interviews, we still like this video.  We give the video The Gospel Four "Ready Or Not" a 9.5 out of 10.  Click on the picture above to view a clip from the video.***  Click HERE to order the DVD.  

Top 5 Gospel Quartet Videos

1. Racy Brothers

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2. Lee Williams & The Spiritual QC's

Tell The Angels

3. Canton Spirituals

New Life:  Live In Harvey, Il

4. The Memphis Harmonizers

Catch on Fire!

***The quality of the clip IS NOT indicative of the quality of the video.  Often, resolution in the picture quality is lost during placement of the clip on the Internet.  In addition, the type of computer you are using to access the Internet and the video player you are using may drastically impact the quality of the clip.