Album Review Update and Video Of The Day (Legacy Five, Great Is Thy Faithfulness)

I posted a few weeks ago a list of upcoming album reviews. Well due to circumstances out of my hands, I have decided to scrap that list. I will try to get a list up of possible upcoming reviews. I have almost finished my Just Stand (Legacy Five)  Review. That will go up sometime this week. Meanwhile here is a video of a song off of that project from the 09 NQC. It is their arrangement of “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” Actually Lari Goss arranged it and quite beautifully I might add.  I just had to share this video.

This video shows me one of the reasons I will miss Frank Seamans so much. He sound really good in this video. I was there that night and he was ON…

Welcome A New Blogger

Go over and say hi to a new Southern Gospel Blogger. His name is Jeff Foster and I believe he is from Kentucky. He may be the first SG blogger from the bluegrass state. Anyway go over and say hi and add his blog to whatever you add blogs to, you will not be dissapointed.

Saturday NQC Review Plus Final Thoughts On NQC 2009

Well the culmination of NQC was Saturday. It is the highly anticipated Singing News fan awards night. My day however started much earlier than the awards show. I started my day by attending the Janet Paschal cancer walk. It was being broadcasted by Daniel Britt of Joy FM. And there were a few special guests there besides Janet. Frank Seamans was there and he told his story about his son battling cancer. There was a young lady there that told a story about her dad but I cannot seem to remember their names. These stories were very touching to me, for my grandma died of cancer.

After this I made my way to the media room to catch up on some things. I then made my way over to Freedom Hall to see if I could get a early seat for the Cathedral Remembered Video taping. I got a seat in the very front row about five feet from the stage. I got to actually watch them rehearse  some of the songs they were going to sing. Glenn Dustin came down and talked to me some as did Scott Fowler and Danny Funderburke. They kicked the concert off at promptly Twelve. I did not take notes since I was on the front row so I am not sure of the song list. There will be a DVD of this performance released in December sometime. I will review that DVD whenever I get it. A few performances that stood out to me were “Plan Of Salvation” featuring Glenn Dustin. I was very impressed. Another highlight was Danny Funderburke singing “I’ve Just Started Living” folks this man still has “It.” He really nailed it on Saturday and really impressed me. As I said I will be doing a full review when I get the DVD in December. So be on the lookout for that.

Well the rest of my Saturday afternoon was pretty uneventful,I went to the media room and typed my Friday review. Then I wandered around the exhibit hall where I ran into an old buddy and we caught up on old times. I had a extra ticket to the Fan Awards so I invited him to sit with me. We arrived at the fan awards in time to hear the Apostolic Boys sing “Get Away Jordan.” I will say that I was impressed. Well the fan awards was how shall I say it… Predictable as always… But I am  happy for each of  the winners. It was very good to see Eric Bennett win the Favorite bass singer award. And it was terrific to see Triumphant win Favorite quartet. But to me anyway the rest was quite predictable. That is not a bad thing per sea but I always like to see surprises. I will say that I am happy for the Booth Brothers as well. Those guys deserve everything they get. They have put in their time and now they are being rewarded for their hard work. Well after the fan awards, I headed straight out for an interview with Glenn Dustin and Tim Parton of Legacy Five. I stood around their table for a little while, then when they got the chance to slip away I took them to the media room for the interview. It went about 40 minutes. I was very pleased with how it turned out. I learned quite a bit about these two great guys. I will be posting that interview as soon as I can get it transcribed and edited. When that was over I headed back to the vendors hall and got me a much needed bite to eat and a drink. I got back into Freedom Hall in time to catch the last part of Janet Pascal’s set to be honest I did not catch any of the songs she sang. I will list my review of the following sets from here.

• Brian Free and Assurance had a strong set once they actually got going. They were having trouble getting the tracks to play. So they sang a A cappella song “There Is A Kingdom Coming” that song is on their newest album. It got a great crowd response. They finally got the tracks to play and they sang “You Must Have Met Him” and then went straight into their current radio release “Die Another Day.” Brian set the next song “Only God Knows” very well with some on the spot comments about abortion. They closed strongly with “Jesus Will Pick You Up.”

• The Talley Trio had a nice set. They sang my favorite newer Talley Trio song “Life Goes On.” And another recent favorite “That’s Enough” both of those were number one songs for them. They closed with their new arrangement of “Amazing Grace.” Overall they had a solid set.

• The Reggie Sadler Family sang a set that seemingly took forever. Not that it was bad but it just seemed to take a long time to get through. The highlight from their set was “Anytime Anyplace Anywhere.”

• The Perry’s had a nice set. They started with “Did I Mention” which the crowd seemed to love. This song is Libbi Stuffle at her very best. They then sang the song that everyone seems to be buzzing about “If You Knew Him.” It of course received a rousing response even from the Saturday night crowd. They closed with a chorus of “I Wish I Could Have Been There.” Basically getting the crowd warmed up for the finale.

• The Grand Finale featured Legacy Five, The Hoppers, Greater Vision and The Booth Brothers. They sang the new ballad “Statement Of Faith.” It got a wonderful response from the crowd.

• Final Thoughts- I had a great week at NQC that was very fulfilling yet very tiring. I got home  late Saturday night early Sunday morning. I pretty much went straight to bed and I had very busy days Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. And I just now have had time to write this final report. I was not disappointed with a whole lot at NQC except for the poor sound.  Which has been an ongoing problem at Freedom Hall for several years. The microphones were another problem and I suppose that ties in with the bad sound. But I commend The NQC for putting on a great program year in and year out. It takes a lot of hard work, sweat and tears to make all what happens at NQC happen. I do know that next year could be the last year in Freedom Hall. As the NQC has yet to sign a contract extension with Freedom Hall officials. But I am sure a deal will be made one way or another. The NQC will live on. I am looking forward to going next year. I am also looking forward to seeing if the Booth Brothers can continue their immense popularity or whether it will be a passing thing as Michael so eloquently put Saturday night. Stay tuned.

NQC Friday Night Review

Friday night at The NQC was an interesting night of contrasting styles. On one hand you have the Diplomats, The Mckameys, The Pfeifers The Inspirations and The Mike Speck Trio. On the other hand you  Signature Sound, The Gaither Vocal Band, The Booth Brothers and Brian Free And Assurance. Along with several other groups like Legacy Five, Greater Vision, Karen Peck And New River, The Dove Brothers and The Hoppers. I believe that this lineup of groups not only represents some of the whose who of the southern gospel, but also all of the contrasting styles within the genre of Southern Gospel music. Below is a review of most of the Friday night sets, I did not catch some of them.

• The Pfeifers opened with one of  their old standby’s “He Looked Beyond M y Fault.” John Pfeifer played  well on his trumpet solo.  That is all I caught of their set since I had some business to take care of in the vendors hall.

• I came back from the vendors hall in time to catch the end of the Original Couriers set. They finished very strongly with “Statue Of Liberty.”  From what I found out later from a colleague, I wish I had caught more of their set.

• I caught all of the Mike Speck Trio set. They were not bad but their style is not really what I enjoy. They did a decent cover of the songs “What We Needed”(Kingdom Heirs) and “Something’s Happening.”(Mercy’s Mark, Hoppers) They finished well with “Tell Somebody.”

• Karen Peck and New River had their best set of the week. They kicked off with “Ephesians One” the crowd seemed to really enjoy it. They went from there into one of their new songs “Why Can’t All God’s Children Get Along.” It has a good message that we all need to get. The crowd also seemed to like this song, but since it was so new it might not  have gone over as well as it could have. They then sang my favorite KPNR song “Four Days Late.” Even though it is around 8 years old it still goes over really well. I am not sure I like the video they play to go with the song. They closed with “We Shall Wear A Robe And Crown” with Eric Bennett joining them at the end again. He really pounds out that ending to that song. The crowd ate it up again like they did Wednesday night.

• Greater Vision sang a pretty good set that went over very well. They opened with “You Better Hurry Up.” and then Gerald Wolfe who is probably the best emcee in Southern Gospel Music. Talked about how it was incredible to see the Original Couriers at NQC again and how they helped get Greater Vision get started. He used this story to set up “We Are So Blessed.” Gerald then had us cracking up by telling us about a older woman that had requested the same song, for the last 4 or 5 years and Greater Vision had never sang it and if they did not this year she would never ask again. So then they started into “There Is A River” which Gerald knocked out of the ballpark. They closed with “He’d Still Been God” which of course went over very well with the crowd.

• Ernie Haase and Signature sounded really good tonight, they really know what their crowd wants and they give it to them. They opened with “Reason Enough” then “Glory To God In The Highest” and they then sang a couple of songs off of their Influenced project. The group around two microphones is a nice addition. They closed with a short reprise of “Reason Enough” that parlayed into “Oh What A Savior.” They brought down the house,

• The Gaither Vocal band came out to a cheering crowd and opened with “I Believe In A Hill Called Mt. Calvary. Wes Hampton really showed out on this song… Bill told a story about his wonderful piano playing, and jumped on the bench with Gordon and told him to take notes. . . which Gordon did(well in a joking way). I will say I was in stitches. Bill accompanied them on “Hide Thou Me” He also called Gene Mcdonald up on stage to sing with them. I will say that the Gaither Vocal Band sounds just plain amazing with a deep rich toned bass singing with them. It truly left me wishing for more  of the same. Then they sang “When He Blessed My Soul” and if they had kept Gene on stage with them they would have blowed it out of the water. Then they slowed things down with “There Is Something About That Name” Gloria came up and gave a nice little speech. They kept it slow with a big ballad “Worthy The Lamb” that went over very well. Signature Sound then came back and joined them for the ever beautiful “I Then Shall Live.”
• The Dove Brothers were the first group to follow the Gaither show. And they did very well. They opened with “Hold On” then they sang one of my favorite DB songs “I Can Pray” the crowd still loves that song as well. They sang “Back To Egypt” next and it went over pretty well. They closed with a awesome rendition of “Get Away Jordan” the Booth Brothers joined them on the encores.
• The Booth Brothers had a very solid set. I really love hearing them sing with a Bass singer and they opened with Glenn Dustin(bass singer for Legacy Five) joining them on “Jesus My Wonderful Lord.” Glenn sounded really good singing with them. Michael then went straight into “Look For Me At Jesus Feet” it went over well as always. Then They sang “He Saw It All.” Which is my favorite all time Booth Brothers. They closed with “Trading The Old Cross For A Crown.” It was quite amazing. Jim Brady is one of the best baritones in the business.
• I missed the next two sets which was the Diplomats and The Inspirations. I did catch some of the Inspirations set in the vendors hall and they sounded very strong. Dallas and David Ragan are terrific additions to that group.
• The Mckameys seem to have a way of connecting with the crowd. Their set went over very well. They sang several songs with the highlight being their closer “I’ve Won.” I even got into that one.
• Legacy Five came out and song a awesome rendition of “Boundless Love.”  They were also joined by the Hoppers. Frank Seamans showed me why I will miss him so much. They sang a couple of songs off of their “Live In Music City” album the two big radio hits “Strike Up The Band” and “I’ve Been Changed” the latter of which went over very well. They then sang a song off of their “Jubilee Project” with Greater Vision joining them. It went over well, especially when the Booth Brothers walked on stage and then promptly walked off stage. They closed with Frank singing his last solo at NQC. “I Stand Redeemed” they got a very nice standing ovation.
• The Hoppers had an awesome set. They started out with “I’ve Come To Far” and then went into “Jerusalem” which still goes over very well kind of like “Shouting Time” they sang a song off of their upcoming label project “Somethings Happening.” It was quite powerful. They closed with of course “Shoutin Time.” They were joined by L5 at the end.
• Triumphant had a nice set highlighted for me with “He Loves Me.” Eric Bennett may be the best bass singer in business, man can he carry a lead. They closed their set with a song off of their new project that I love “When The Trumpet Sounds.” The crowed loved it too.
• Brian Free and Assurance sang a nice set that was, highlighted by maybe the most emotional part of the week. Jeremy Lile who had just buried his dad, decided to try and sing this weekend and he sang “Save Me A Seat” in tribute to his father. He bravely made it through the whole song then broke down on the last line. I will say there may not have been a dry eye in the place. BFA closed strongly with “Long As I Got King Jesus.”

Overall Friday night was great night. Magical? well no but it was still a great night of, like I said in opening of contrasting styles of groups. That was what made it speical. I will be doing a review of todays events either tomorrow or Monday.

NQC Friday Afternoon Showcase Review

• Friday at The NQC was a speical day. For me it started at the Song Of A Lifetime Showcase, which was the first for me.  I will say I was very impressed by the quality of the program that Phil Cross put together. This showcase is a definite winner. Highlights for me from this  program was The Liberty Quartet singing “Just Stand”. Legacy Five singing “Hello After Goodbye.” The Original Couriers sang a awesome rendition of “Statue Of Liberty”. They closed with Greg Day the writer of “Midnight Cry” singing his hit song. I will say it was quite powerful. Since I have lost my notes from this showcase, those were the highlights that most stuck out to me.
• Dino’s “Grand and Glorious Piano Extravaganza,” was a good show. I did not take notes of this showcase so I will mention the highlights that stood out to me. The big one was Roy Webb playing “It Is Well,” it was quite a powerful rendition. Other highlights include Kim Collingsworth playing “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” and Stewart Varnado playing “God On The Mountain.”  I also really enjoyed Dino’s classical piano music medley, it was very tasteful. They closed with a powerful medley of songs about heaven with five pianists at five different grand pianos. Overall it was a great showcase that gave you a taste of some of the best musician talent in Southern Gospel Music. Other perfomers included Stan Whitmire (who played very well also as always) Josh Singletary, Jeff Stice and Channing Eleton.

The Friday afternoon showcases were very good and I enjoyed them very much. I am sorry that I could not post quite as much today. I will have a full detailed review of the Friday night music a little later on. I may decide to do one big review combining Friday Night and Saturday night together. Any input on that would be greatly appreciated.

(Gaither Vocal Band and Ernie Haase And Signature Sound Showcase Review) Plus The End Of The Thursday Night Set’

This showcase was something that I had been looking forward to for quite a while. So I got up at 9 this morning and made the drive to Louisville with Daniel Mount (who is staying with my family) and my brother. We got there about one hour before the doors opened and waited so we could get a front row seat. It was totally worth the wait. We sat about 10 feet from the stage and it was awesome. Ernie Haase and Signature sound was up first and they sang a very solid  set. They opened with “Our Debts Will Be Paid” before going into a rousing rendition of “Glory To God In The Highest.” They slowed it down considerably by singing my favorite EHSS song “Reason Enough” that one went over very well. Then they sang the old hymn “Wonderful Grace Of Jesus” and did it “A Capella.” I don’t think anyone will touch the Cathedrals on that one, but EHSS did a bang up job. They then sang a new song off of their Christmas project “Changed By A Baby Boy” it was not bad, but it is arranged in a style that I really don’t enjoy. Then they did some songs off of their “Influenced” CD. “My Heart Is A Chapel” “Swinging On The Golden Gate” and “Walk With Me.” Ernie did a great job on setting up and singing “Walk With Me.” They closed with an old Bill Gaither song which fit nicely since the GVB was coming up next. They sang “Since Jesus Passed By” which is one of my favorites. It received a very nice ovation.

Then it was suddenly the moment that the crowd had been waiting for. As the lights dimmed the anticipation built and built some more. Then the music started and the vocalist’s made their way onstage. When you could actually see them up there the crowd went nuts. They started with a wonderful rendition of “Alpha and Omega” which is a song I love. It really set the tone for the rest of the show. They then sang their wonderful arrangement of “At The Cross” David Phelps was awesome on his verse. Then they really amped things up a bit and featured Michael English on “Temporary Home” it was very well received I really enjoyed that number. Then there were a few comedy moments from Bill and Mark that I can’t remember all the details of, so I won’t try to butcher it here. Then they sang “The Love Of God” and Kevin Williams had us laughing at his comments of them starting the song A Capella. He said “The dream of my life has always been to be able to play guitar for a A Capella group. It was very funny at the time and the crowd loved it. They featured all three “Tenors” on the song and it has never sounded better. They sang “Satisfied” next and got a rousing response from the crowd. Then it was back for more laughter between Mark and Bill as they started to sing “My Journey To The Sky” every time Mark would start the first verse Bill would cut him off with some random comment about the Jordan Heirs. He did this several times and the crowd was rolling. When they finally did sing it was very strong vocally as always. David was then featured on  “Nessun Dorma” off of his most recent solo album. It was a very moving performance the crowd gave it a prolonged standing ovation as if welcoming back David to NQC. Then the Vocal band sang “He Touched Me” it went over very well. Then Michael gave a short testimony about how good it was to be back and then sang a very moving rendition of “Lord Feed Your Children.” They closed with the ever powerful “It Is Finished.” Then EHSS came back out and the two groups did a few songs together off of their “Together” project. I really liked the moving performance of “I Then Shall Live” they also featured Gordon Mote on the “Old Gospel Ship”. They closed the program out with a nice rendention of “Because He Lives” Wes  finished the first verse with a nice high power note. Then Bill suprised Gordon by having him come up on stage to sing Mark’s part on the last verse then David took over and nailed the ending of that  verse. They finished the song very strong. Overall it was a very good afternoon at the GVB,EHSS showcase.

Well I had to miss most of the Thursday night set’s due to a EMT class. But I did however catch the last 4 sets of the night.

• The Easters had a decent set. While I think Morgan Easter is a wonderful young singer. I still miss Charlotte Ritchie singing with them. The highlight song of their set was “Thank You Lord For Your Blessings.” They were joined at the end by the Talley Trio and Jeff asked Lauren to sing the last verse. The crowd really seemed to enjoy this song.
• The Talley trio really had a very good set tonight. I love their new arrangement of “Amazing Grace.” They also sang their latest single “My Hope Is In The Lord” featuring Roger. They kicked things up a notch by singing “My God Is A Mountain Mover”. Their set was closed very, very strongly by Lauren Talley’s amazing rendition of “He Is Alive.”
• The Tribute Quartet sang pretty well “I’ve Been Blessed” fits Tribute well, and “He’s Been Faithful” is a very solid song. Tenor Brian Alvey did not blow me away but was pretty solid on “Who Am I.” But something about their set just seemed off.  A blogger friend of mine mentioned that they still had over six minutes left on the clock when they handed the reins over to the Perry’s.
• The Perry’s came out strong with “Old Fashioned Altar.” Then Tracy told a short story setting up their latest hit “If You Knew Him.” Joseph Habedank continues to prove why he is one the best lead singers going today. He really conveys this song well. The crowd was on their feet before the song even ended. They closed “I Wish I Could Have Been There.” They encored it three times. They were joined at the end by a whole host of different singers from various groups.

Even though I only got to catch four sets. It was a great way to end my night. I will be at NQC all day today so I will be reporting on various events throughout the day. I am really looking forward to “The Song Of A Lifetime Showcase.” And of course the piano estravanganza thing that Dino and Kim Collingsworth have going on should be intersting. I hope it is similar to the “Parade Of Pianos.” And of course tonights set list looks very promising. so stay tuned for a review of the Friday events.

NQC-Wednesday Night Review

Wednesday night at NQC was  a great night for Southern Gospel fans. I was looking forward to the night concerts all day long. And I will say that  I was not disappointed at all. There are several highlights that I want to go over.

• The night started out with Legacy Five, Greater Vision  and the Booth Brothers singing “Jubilee” that really helped to set the tone for the rest of the night.
• Paid In Full did a two song set that was really solid. They sang “My Soul Is firmly Anchored” as a trio. whereas on the album they had Gene Mcdonald as a  guest bass vocalist for just that song. They actually sounded great on that song without the bass lines. They closed with a rousing rendition of “Truth Be Told.” I came away very impressed with Paid In Full in a live setting.
• Naomi and the Segos did a solid set. With the highlight being a terrific rendition of “One Day At A Time.” The Crowd really gave Naomi a very warm ovation…
• Tim Lovelace then took the stage, and was his usual funny self.
• The two Kim’s were fantastic. Your probably thinking there is a group called the The Two Kim’s. No but close, Kim Collingsworth provided masterful accompaniment to Kim Hopper on the hymn “Blessed Assurance” it was quite stunning.
• The Collingsworth followed the “Two Kims”, with one of the best sets of the night. I was once again like Saturday Night amazed by the Collingsworth Family. They came out and opened with one of their older songs “Not The Same.” It received a nice ovation. The Collingsworth’s  were only just getting started. They then sang my favorite new song off of their new project “Fear Not Tomorrow.” This song was very well received by the crowd, which is not always the case with new songs. They got a prolonged standing ovation. Phil talked for a bit and decided to have Brooklyn and Courtney play a violin Duet. I was expecting some fiddling. But they slowed it way down and went with the slower “No One Cares For Me Like Jesus.” Iand it seemed the rest of crowd was in awe at just the sound of two violins and a piano. A nice change from the norm. They received another prolonged standing ovation. They closed with “Jesus Is Still The Answer” and it was also well recieved. Well the Collingsworth made their point tonight,that they belong on the mainstage at NQC ,and have been long overdue.
• Karen Peck and New River sang a pretty standard set tonight. “Hey” went over well like it always does. The highlight of their set though was “We Shall Wear A Robe and Crown” and it was just incredible. They were joined at the end by the Talley’s. Eric Bennent also joined them and really cemented some Bass notes on that song. I always enjoy “Karen Peck and New River’s” sets and tonight was no exception.
• The Talley Trio also sang a pretty standard set, nothing flashy just some good singing. The highlight was the ever powerful “His Life For Mine.”
• The Booth Brothers also like the two trios before them sang a standard set of songs. Ronnie sounded really good on “Crying In The Chapel” He is not Elvis but then again he is not trying to be. Michael was making us laugh of course. They closed with “The Secret Place” and “His Grace Is Sufficient,” on the latter song they were joined by the previous two trios (Talley’s & KPNR) and really finished it off strong, having the crowd join in on the singing.
• I slipped out during the Pfiefers set so I could set up an interview with some of the Legacy Five guys. But I did catch the end of their rendition of “Holy Holy Holy” I love that song so I enjoyed it. The crowd ate it up and the Pfiefers received quite the ovation.
• The Kingdom Heirs did not disappoint tonight they kicked things off by having L5 join them for “Wedding Music.” Glenn Dustin took the first verse and Jeff Chapman took the second verse. This was a highlight of the night for me. I love that song and to see two of my favorite Quartets sing it together was a special treat. The Kingdom Heir’s sang a very good set with several great numbers. Chapman was really on tonight he nailed his notes on “God’s Word” and on a new song called “Help Me Lord” but the big Highlight was “I want You To Know.” I absolutely love this song and to get to see it live for the first time was great. The ultra big highlight from their set was “What We Needed” WOW! It was off the hook. They were joined at the end by L5 and they really hammered it home. Billy Hodges nailed what I believe was a high Ab which is insane. He handed the mic off to Frank Seamans at the end and Frank also nailed ultra high note. Overall it was a highlight set of the night.
• Legacy Five started their set off with “I Found Grace” which is one of my favorite L5 song’s and they of course blew it out of the water. The crowd gave a very nice ovation. They then went with a A cappella medley. It was also very well received, crowds always love it when groups sing with no music, it makes them seem more real. Then Scott told the story about Frank’s son, and had Frank sing the ever reliable “Peace”(When I Leave It In Your Hands). They closed with the same song they closed with in chapel “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” The Crowd really loved it. Lari Goss arranged that song the way L5 sings it and it is just such a great arrangement that I cannot help but love it even more than before. I am looking forward to see what L5 pulls out on Friday Night.
• I missed most of Mark Bishops set but what I did hear was pretty solid.
• The Greenes set was a highlight of the night for me. Taranda was sounding better than ever tonight. Her and Jeff Snyder on “Miracle In Me” was received very well. I was delighted when they sang “When God Has Another Plan” which is one of my favorite Greene’s song. Tony Greene then gave a incredible testimony about his battle with his Kidney Failure. They then sang “Hold On” the atmosphere was charged with emotion. They received the longest standing ovation of any group I have ever seen at NQC.  It was very well deserved after what that family/group has been through.
• The Bowling Family sang a very nice set highlighted by “Your Cries Have Awoken The Master” and “I Never Shall Forget The Day.” On the latter song they were joined by the Greenes and The Whisnants.
• The Whisnants sang a nice set. The highlight was  the last song “I’ll Pray For you.” On which they were joined by several other groups. It was very fitting for the night and it went over very well with the crowd.
• The Dove Brothers sang 4 new songs “Hold On” was very strong and Little David was solid. I also enjoyed “A Little Good News”. They closed out with “Rain” of course. It of course was ate up by the crowd. Triumphant joined them on the end and it was funny to watch Clayton try the Mcray dance. Good solid set by the Dove’s. Even though I heard they sang the exact same set list on Monday night. In the same order…
• Triumphant sang a very strong set tonight. The opened with “One Drop Of Blood” I love Eric Bennents smooth vocal style. They then sang the ever reliable “Don’t Let The Sandals Fool Ya” the crowd still loves it. David Sutton was featured on “What A Wonderful Day” he is a smooth tenor and can sing multiple tenor styles. Then they sang their hit song “Old White Flag.” I love this song and I love watching Jeff Stice acting like he hates it. I think deep down he really actually enjoys it. They closed with “Everyday” and were joined by Gold City. I will say I really enjoyed the the two bass singers, Eric Bennent and the Legend Tim Riley at the end. It received a rousing standing ovation from the crowd.
• I was looking forward to seeing Gold City all day, since it will be the only time I get to see them this week,and they did not disappoint. Tim Riley is just plain AMAZING! They opened with “I’m Not Giving Up” which was very well received. Then they sang “When I Get Carried Away” Chris Cooper was very solid on this one. Then the moment the crowd had been waiting for, a Tim Riley solo. He sang “Under Control” and it was great I loved every note. They closed with a very rousing rendition of “When He Blessed My Soul” which really showed what Chris Cooper was capable of. He is only going to get better folks. His ultra high note towards the end was something to behold. They were joined by Triumphant and The Doves at the end and what an ending it was the three tenors Cooper, Sutton and Martin was incredible. Seeing Gold City with Tim Riley made my night complete.

Overall it was a wonderful night of laugter, tears and of course great singing. But I do have a few complaints a  review would not be complete without them. Well really I only have one complaint and that was the sound people. Just about every group with the exception of maybe a few had mic problems. Either the mics popping and cracking or not being turned up very loud at all. Or in Arthur Rices case turned up too loud! But other than that complaint I had a wonderful night. I will be attending the GVB EHSS show tomorrow. I cannot wait to hear the “New GVB”. I will be doing a review of that one sometime tomorrow. I won’t be attending very much of the Thursday night concerts for I have class this evening. I will be catching the very end so I will write a short report on what I do get to see.

Mid-Day NQC Update

• I am having a pretty good day so far here at NQC. I attended the Chapel service with Legacy Five, and they were on fire for most of the morning. They covered several songs off of their new Just Stand project. The big standout  stirring song was “When They Found Nothing.” It really brought the house down. Other new songs included “Just Stand”, which they really drive home hard. Tim’s rousing rendition of “Wonderful Grace Of Jesus”  got a standing ovation. They also featured Tim on a new song called “One Thing God Can’t Do,” with Frank and Scott joining him on the verses to make a really nice trio. They closed with “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” and really did awesome on it. They got another standing ovation. Overall it was a good chapel service, that I really enjoyed.
• On another Legacy Five related note, a couple of different blogs are now reporting that Frank is resigning the tenor position for Legacy Five. I am saddened by this news, for I felt Frank was the perfect fit for Legacy Five. He really sounds better than he ever has on the latest project (Just Stand), and it will be sad to see the possible success of this album hampered by Frank leaving. I will be praying for Frank and his family. I wish him the very best, for I know that he would not leave L5 if he did not feel that it was absolutely necessary. Pray for L5 as they seek a replacement. The blog reports do say that Frank is sticking around till they find his replacement.
• I attended the Gaither Homecoming artist sing-along, and I came away very impressed. There were several highlights. One was that Tim Parton and Stan Whitmire handled the piano playing duties today. WOW! They both are two of the best “if not the best” in Southern Gospel Music today. Another higlight for me was John Rulupaugh handling David Phelps’ part on the song “When God Dips His Love In My Heart.” He really nailed it, they encored it three times. Another highlight was “Caananland Is Just In Sight.” Jason Crabb really did well on this song. The last highlight “for me anyway” was a young man named Logan Smith singing “What A Lovely Name.” Wow is not a proper word to describe this young man’s voice. He really nailed it; they encored it a couple of times. It was a great time and I really enjoyed myself at that showcase. I will say I cannot wait till tomorrow to see the GVB and EHSS together.
• McKamey’s/Inspiration Showcase- I have been listening in to this showcase some (it is next door to the media room), and I will say the new Inspirations sound really solid. I have never been a big fan of theirs, but I have change my mind. Dallas Rogers sounded pretty good on “Dealing With Gold.” The McKameys well. . . they sounded like the Mckameys.

I will be posting another update in the morning on the night concert’s.

My First Day Of NQC

My first day of NQC is today. So I am a little bit late joining some of the Blogging community at NQC.  I will be going to quite a few events throughout the rest of the day, and the week beyond. I will be posting real time updates via my twitter page. So if you are into Twitter f0llow me. I will try to my best to post real time updates from every event I attend this week.

Concert Review- The Collingsworth Family

A couple of weeks ago I got a postcard in the mail from the Collingsworth Family. They were letting me know they were going to be in my area soon in Columbus Indiana. I thought I might go to that.  I forgot about it until I was sent a link by a fellow blogger, to have a sneak peek at their new project. Well I was blown away by just about all of the songs on that project,  and thought I have to see them soon, and then it hit me Columbus September 12th. I thought okay if everything works out with work I will definitely go. Well everything worked out fine with work and I got to go and what a night it was. If you have never been to a Collingsworth Concert then let me describe it to you in a few short words, “Breath Of Fresh Air” that is to me what a Collingsworth concert is. When you go see multiple groups a  year like I do and for the most part (not always)  you get the same old ho hum type pure entertainment type stuff. With The Collingsworth Family it is so refreshing to see genuine singing and worshiping of God. They really know how to connect with their audience in a way that very few groups can these days and they can flat out sing/play with anyone in Gospel music. Yes there are those how shall I say it….  Glitches in the system but for the most part the Collingsworth family is a sight and sound to behold and they do it with a humble sincerity about them, that is very rare in today’s music world. Well on to the review which is what most of you are wanting anyway. I went to the concert with a good friend and her cousins that I had not met before. We got there about 45 mins early and the church was already ¾ of the way full and people were streaming in by the dozens. There were probably about 800 people there when it was all said and done. There were actually people standing up in the back.  Well after a quick congregational song the anticipation started building for the moment when the Collingsworth’s would come up and kick things off. And they started with (I have each song they sang Saturday listed in the order they sang them along with my opinion on each one)

• “Trading This Old Cross For A Crown” they always do great on this upbeat song. They  turned it around at the end and while I do not prefer that groups turn around their opening tune it worked here.  it went over very well with the crowd.

• “Holy Holy Holy” Their A cappella rendition of this featuring Courtney is absolutely stunning this is one of my favorite songs anyway so it was a special treat for me. They encored it once and the crowd really loved it.

• “Ever Gentle Ever Sweet”- This song featuring Brooklyn, Courtney and Kim is a very simple yet beautiful new song off of their new project. The harmony between the three ladies was absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. You can tell these women have sang together all of their lives.

• Trumpet Medley (Come Into His Presence/ Shout To The Lord/Trees of The field)- I am a trumpet player myself so I always look forward to seeing Phil play the trumpet. And he did not disappoint Saturday night. I also noticed that  Brooklyn and Courtney were providing Live background vocals for the song’s. This went over very well, Phil nailed his last high note like I have not heard him nail it down before!

• I Could Never Praise Him Enough- This is another new song that I just loved. It featured I believe the entire family with Kim and Brooklyn handling the verses. It has such an incredible message to it that just to think we will never be able to Praise God Enough for his wonderful grace and mercy.

• Piano Solo- Goodbye World Goodbye- I have always loved to hear Kim play the piano she just never ceases to amaze me!!! The licks that she throws into this song is what makes it amazing! This one of course received a standing ovation.

• Fear Not Tomorrow- This is also a new song off of their new project featuring Kim on the first verse. This song blows me away, I love the addition of “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow” that was added into the song by the author. The amazing family harmony is once again very evident on this song. They received another standing ovation on this one.

• Intros- Phil started the introductions by talking about how Columbus Indiana was a homecoming of sorts for them, Kim’s mom was born and raised in Columbus and there is still a lot of family of theirs that lives in the Columbus IN area. Most if not all their extended family from around the area was there Saturday night.

• The Good Ole Day’s- This song featured Olivia and is on her new solo CD, and I am absolutely amazed about how far her voice has come along since I last heard them (Last November) This song is a country flavored song that actually reminds me a little of “Gold City’s” What Children Believe”. It is in a sort of first person mode with Olivia talking to her grandpa asking him to tell her about the “Good Ole Days”   The family did a wonderful job backing up Olivia on this one… This song went over very well.

• I Know- This song featuring Phil Jr. who’s voice has like Olivia’s really developed nicely. This song written by Gerald Crabb specifically for the Collingsworth Family has a very good message to it that I love. They hand the lead up to Brooklyn who handles the transition expertly. What impresses me the most about these new songs is the fact that some of them they have not sung or practiced them very much. This song also has a built in turnaround that really added nicely to the live setting.

• Violin Duet- The Lily of The Valley/He looked Beyond My Faults And Saw My Need- The girls have really come a long way on those violins. I remember hearing them years ago and thinking they were good but still had a long ways to go. The crowd was very enthusiastic about their playing and they received a very nice hand.

• Kim Testimony- Kim got up and gave a very heartwarming moving testimony about God’s faithfulness in their lives. She thanked her extended family for being there and loving and supporting them. Then she set up their next song with a story about their time coming up with songs for the new project. She said they already had most of the songs picked but her and Phil and Courtney were sitting around thinking that there was something missing then Phil said it hit him. He remembered and old song written about 25 years ago called “Jesus Is Still The Answer” They went to the piano and started singing and Courtney who had never heard the song said “Mom this is it, this is what is missing off of this project” and Kim said “Yes your right this is it”. And it became the Title track for their new project.

• Jesus Is Still The Answer- This song is a powerful old  song that I had never heard so it was new to me and what a song it is. They sing this song as a family with Phil and Brooklyn taking the lead on the verses. It received a standing ovation the crowd really loved this one.

• I Shall Not Be Moved- This is another new song that features the entire family, they sang this as the offering was taken there was not “True” intermission Saturday night.

• I Want A Prinicple Within- Phil introduced this song by saying it was written by John Wesley in 1749 and that a lot of people have never heard of it but they should. And I agree this is a song that everyone should sing in their hearts to God that we want a Principle within and not just a form of some church manual. Great family singing right here, this one is another that was well received.

• I Can Trust Jesus- This song is probably one of the most requested Collingsworth songs. It may very well be my favorite song they have ever done. It rings with such a true but simple message that no matter what you might face in life you can trust Jesus.

• Piano Medley (Keep On The Firing Line/O What A Savior/Great Is Thy Faithfulness/How Great Thou Art/ Hallelujah Chorus)- They closed with this and WOW was it ever powerful, they took requests and Kim played a little bit of all of them but when she went into the Hallelujah Chorus the crowd all stood as tradition and really got into the song. There was a long ovation afterward.

Overall- It was a wonderful night of worship in the Garden City Community Church, They sang/played/talked for about 2 hours and I enjoyed every minute of it. I could have listened to a couple of more hours of their wonderful music without complaining. But there was one thing I will mention that bothered me all night, their mics kept cutting in and out at the most inopportune times. It was a bit distracting to say the least. And The bass was a little overbearing at times but those are the only minor complaints I have. If you have never caught a Collingsworth Concert before I insist that you go and see them soon. I for one cannot wait to hear them this Wednesday night The NQC. Also I would highly recommend you buying their new project “The Answer” and Olivia’s new Project “Then And Now”. The Collingsworth are a class act through and through. May God bless them as they go forward spreading the message and word of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for he is truly the Answer to all of our problems.