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2008 National Releases Overview | ||||
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Last year was another good year for gospel quartet music and the major labels. MALACO, MCG and other major labels delivered some outstanding projects in 2008.
As to the reviews, we began
2008 with
Apostle J L Cash & Praise's
I Need To Hear From You. What a power pack CD.
It is a live recording with some studio tracks mixed in. Apostle J L
Cash & Praise are the new addition to the MCG label.
Their music has been described as R & B gospel with a contemporary flair,
but traditionally anchored.
Apostle J. L. Cash and
Praise have shared
their gifts of music from concerts at the Pentagon in our nation's
capital, to remote villages of Central America. The first thing that
will strike you about this CD is that the songs (and arrangements)
incorporate the soulful sounds of the 70’s, inspirational lyrics and blend
them exceptionally well with what we know as “gospel quartet” music.
For February we reviewed
The Messengers
Presents In Church With The Messengers. If you remember
Willie Banks and The
Messengers then you
are already familiar with
The Messengers.
Willie Mitchell was second lead before Mr. Banks' death. Since Mr.
Banks’ death, the group has released, including the current CD, five CDs.
The current members of the group are Willie Mitchell, Charles Blakely,
Henry Wesley, Brad Black, Maurice Surrell, Jr., Anthony Brice, and
Tramaine Jones. And, there is a guest appearance on the new CD by Pastor
Nathaniel V. Booker of New Galilean Baptist Church, Jackson, Mississippi,
on Down On My Knees and When I Move. The liner notes accurately
reflect that the new CD contains “inspiring and uplifting songs.” This CD
will certainly minister to you.
In March, we reviewed the
project from the the Legendary
Fantastic Violinaires.
This group has influenced so many other singers. The group is one of
the most imitated groups in gospel music. The group has weathered
the storm of change in personnel, change in label and the death of their
point man for many years, the incomparable Robert Blair. Others may try,
but not can duplicate the extraordinary vocal skills and talents of the
guys that recorded with Robert Blair. Although, the group has not
had a new release in over five (5) years, It would not be appropriate to
say that
The Violinaires
are back; because, they never left the music scene. Since the group
has not released a new project since 2003, it is probably fitting that
their new CD is titled Revived. With this new project
the guys have 'revived' the
Violinaires’
sound of the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. In doing so, they have succeeded in
delivering a fresh sound that will help to return to life, consciousness,
vigor, and strength that traditional gospel quartets sound to the airways.
They have aided in restoring life to a genre that has been struggling to
stay in the mainstream of the gospel music industry. With this new
project
The Fantastic Violinaires
will have the masses taking notice, once again, of gospel quartet music.
Young and old will enjoy this project. This is one of, if not, the
best gospel quartet CD released in 2008.
In April, we reviewed
the
The Blind Boys of Alabama's
Down In New Orleans. Even after being in the vineyard
for almost seventy (70) years, they are still singing praises to our Lord
and Savior. They are still encouraging the masses with their extraordinary
gift of music. And, they are sounding better than ever. They have
dropped the ‘Five’ for purposes of this recording. But, make no
mistake about it, they are still the powerhouse that gospel quartet fans
expect. They may have drop the “Five,” but they have not drop their
ability to mesmerize audiences, young and old, from all backgrounds, with
their hard hitting style of singing.
The Doctor showed up for our May
review.
The one thing that you can
always depend upon on any recording by
Doc McKenzie and The Hi-Lites
is that it will be different than the one before. Well, “different” is
certainly one of the adjectives to describe the group’s new CD. Other
words would be “awesome,” “powerful,” “great,’ and “remarkable.” Some may
recall that we started getting rumors of a new recording by
The Hi-lites
about four (4) years ago. As the rumors persisted, and about two (2)
years ago the group released a three-play that received some airplay.
None of the songs on the three-play are on the new CD. The rumors
continued and with much fanfare on January 26, 2008, the group released
the CD titled The Answer Is In The Music.
Revive’s
Return was the subject of the July review. When you
think of the group
Revive,
you immediately think of Johnavon Sauls, aka Bo Peep. After a hiatus
from the group, Sauls is back. Thus the title for the new CD -
Return. And, it is apparent that Sauls return to the group
enhances only what was already a solid group. Sauls shared
lead duties on this project. Sheldon Pugh, Mark Williams and even Gregg
Kelly are credited, along with Sauls, with being the lead vocals on this
project. Overall this is a very good project by
Revive.
In August, we reviewed The
Legend
Margaret “Babe” Allison
final recording. The CD Touch Me Again was released on
May 20, 2008. The producer for this project was Darrell Luster, of
The Sensational
Nightingales.
Diehard fans of Ms. Allison will readily recognize that her voice is not
as strong on this project as on previous recordings. However, they will
also realize that this CD is one to be treasured. The historic
nature of this project cannot be over emphasized. The last recording
by any artist is sure to garner interest, but in the gospel quartet genre
this one will generate interest from many years.
The Barnes Family
of Rocky Mount, NC was the subject of our October review. In 1999,
The Barnes Family
gave us a two (2) CD recording titled A Live Reunion. That project
consisted of 25 songs. It was a great project and could easily have
been titled ‘the best of the best from The Barnes Family.’ Participating
in that recording were
Rev. F. C. Barnes & Company,
Deborah Barnes,
Luther Barnes & The Sunset
Jubilaries, and
The Red Budd Gospel Choir.
Well, the same lineup is back with The Barnes Family Reunion II.
This recording took place at the Red Budd Holy Church in Rocky Mount,
North Carolina. Rev. F. C. Barnes is the Senior Pastor of the
Church. Reunion II also consists of two (2) CDs.
This is a power packed recording. From the first song to the finale,
this is a song service that is sure to move you. The singers are showcased
in a way that allows you to enjoy the message that is being conveyed by
each song.
In November we reviewed
Archie Dale and The Tones of
Joy's Don't
Worry About Me. One of the signs of a solid group is the
longevity among the group members. Longevity aids the group in delivering
smooth background harmony. It also contributes to a blending of the vocals
in a way that can only be developed over years of singing together. If you
are fortunate to have any of the Tones of Joy's earlier recordings take a
look at the lineup and you will see that many of the members are still
with the group. The new CD is the group’s twelfth LP/CD. In
addition to the twelve full projects, they recorded their first 45 in
1968. Side A was "Life Evening Sun." Side B was
"You Never Know When The Lord Will Come." They
recorded a second 45 in 1969, which consisted of (side A) "Ride This
Train" and (side B) "God Heard My Cry." One of
the first things that you will notice about their new CD is the quality of
the recording. In other words, the guys put a lot of time and effort
into delivering a CD that reflects their dedication to providing their
fans (and soon to be fans) great gospel music. You will also notice
that the harmony is tight throughout the eleven (11) songs on this
project. And, you will notice that each of the songs convey a
message that is needed for our time. We ended the year with A Soul Stirring Reunion from The Soul Stirrers. Much has been written about The Soul Stirrers. They are one of the groups that started in the late 20’s and have been able to remain active into the twenty-first century. This group has championed some of the greatest lead singers in gospel music. Such as, R. H. Harris, Sam Cooke, Martin Jacox , Julius Cheeks, Paul Foster, Johnny Taylor, Jimmy Outler, and Lou Rawls. The group early recordings are still popular today. Sam Cooke singing lead on any of the group's songs still mesmerizes listeners today. Therefore, it is not much of a surprise that the current members would release a CD of songs that could be considered another best of The Soul Stirrers. It is probably not fair to the current members to refer to them as “sounding like” their predecessors; because, each lead singer brings his on creative style and unique talent to the project. So, we will not make that type of comparison. However, fans of The Soul Stirrers will readily be able to identify the sound alike ‘voices’ of the lead singers.
As reflected from the reviews, 2008 saw many of the legends of the gospel quartet genre returning to the marketplace. In addition to the CDs that were reviewed, there were others that deserved your attention. Take a look at the Gloryland Gospel CD Store for a list of all of the gospel quartet projects released by the major labels in 2008.
We believe that 2009 will be
another active year for the major label. *******
Below you will find the Gloryland Gospel's top 5 picks of the year 2008 and the top 15 national groups to watch in 2009. This list is in no way all inclusive, however if you're really looking for the best of the best you will definitely want to add these recordings to your quartet library. God Bless and we look forward to great releases from the major labels in 2009.
Top 5 National Releases of 2008
1.
The Fantastic Violinaires "Revived"
1.
The Sensational Nightingales - Watch
for something new in 2009, maybe a video. |
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