Gold City Concert Review 04/29/2010 Wesport, Indiana

A few months ago I was on the Gold City website looking for a concert that would be within driving distance for me. I saw that were going to be in Wesport Indiana, on April 29. I went last night and I have to say that I had a wonderful time. I had heard great things about the new lineup but wanted to see it for myself before making any judgments. When I arrived there was a line outside the door. It was first come first serve seating so I got there plenty early. I got a seat about 3 rows back center row, which was really great seating in a church that held about 300. It was packed to the gills. Since there was about an hour before the concert started, I laid some things on my seat to save it, and made my way back to the product table. No one was there so I just looked over their product. The first thing I noticed is that Josh Cobb has a solo album out with him singing with just some light instrumentation. It was released very recently. It has alot of old hymns and gospel classics on it, including his hit that he is singing right now “Satisfied.” But more on that later.I made my way back to my seat and waited for the concert to begin.

At 7:00 a local group of ladies came out and opened for Gold City. They did a good job singing a couple of songs that I did not really recognize, but they had pretty good harmony and a solid stage presence. Finally they introduced Gold City and they kicked things off with a bang by singing “I Cast My Bread Upon The Water” I really like this song, and Tim Riley did a  great job on the bass repeats towards the end. I am so glad that Tim chose to hit the road again with these guys! He may be the best bass singer on the road today. Gold City went straight into one of my favorites from the new CD “By Your Grace And By Your Glory” this song really shows the groups ability to harmonize, and the chemistry that they have already is pretty incredible. They took things up a notch with a rousing rendition of “When He Blessed My Soul.” As much as I like the  Gaither Vocal Band, Gold City owns this song. Tim Riley really shook the floorboards on this song. And Josh Cobb really shined on his part of this song.  Daniel Riley then talked a little and set up their next song, which was “It’s Still The Cross” I have loved this song for a long time. It was my first time getting to see it sung live. And the guys did a awesome job. After this song Daniel introduced the guys. Roy picked on Daniel quite a bit when Daniel said “we all have wives and kids.” Roy said “you might have ‘wives’ but I only have one, good luck with that one Daniel.” It was quite funny to say the least… Roy took it a step further, when Daniel talked about his little girl. Roy was like “Which wife had her?” :I have lost track of how many you have now.” To say the least Roy had the crowd in stitches. That man is one funny guy. After all the laughter died down they sang “I’m Rich” which features lead singer Bruce Taliferro. That guy is without a doubt one of the best lead singers in the business. His voice is very strong and he has great tone and pitch control. He also has great range though maybe not as high as Wilburn however he more than makes up for that with his pure vocal power. Daniel set up their next song “What Children Believe” with a nice story about his daughter. I really like this song it brings back some memories from my own childhood. “After Awhile” was up next and Tim Riley does great on that one. After which Daniel told the story of how his dad came back to the group. And set up the next song “Rainbow Of Love” And man did Tim really dig deep on that one. His voice in my opinion has gotten stronger than it ever was before. Roy Webb played a very uptempo rendition of  “Have A Little Talk With Jesus” I have to say that I was very impressed by how smooth he played that song at that tempo. He made it look very easy and well I will say that it is not easy! He is truly blessed with a great ability. After Roy finished Daniel introduced Josh Cobb. Josh sang “Satisfied” and really showed how great of a vocalist he really is. That song allows him to show all sides of his vocal ability. He started smooth and ended it on a high power ending that really blew me, and everyone else away! They went straight from there into “I’m Not Giving Up” The guys always do awesome on that one Bruce espiecally. Tim in was once again pounding out some awesome low notes. Daniel then set up the song “Preach The Word” by telling people even if you cant preach, just get out there and do what you can to spread the gospel. Steve Ladd owns this song, but Josh Cobb is very quickly making it his own. He really nails the high notes on that song without to much trouble. The more he sings it the better he will get at it. After this song was intermission. During intermission I made my way back to the product tables. Where I got to meet Josh and Roy for the first time. Those guys are great and personable and also very funny. I bought Josh’s new CD and said a few more words and made my back to my seat.

After intermission the guys came out with a great rendition of “When I Get Carried Away” I am glad they brought this one back. Bruce really did a great job on this one. They then sang a song that I was not familiar with, but one I really liked. It was “He’ll Do It Every time” That song was on their What A Great Lifestyle CD. I love it that they are bringing back some of their older songs and putting a fresh sound to them. They then sang “I’m Saved I’m Sure I’m ready” I love that song. Daniel said afterward that his brother Doug wrote that song, and when they were going through Doug’s things after he died, they found the hand written copy of that song. So that song will always be special to Daniel. After he told that story he told Roy that some people were wanting him to play a solo on the Grand Piano that the church had. (Roy had been playing on a keyboard) Roy of course obliged by playing a beautiful soft rendition of “Softly And Tenderly.” Tim Riley then set up the next song by talking about all the troubles that we as a christian people have to face each and everyday. He then sang probably what would be considered his signature song “Under Control” the guys really do a nice job with this one… The ending was really solid. To be honest I was choked up throughout this song. I really needed it tonight. The last month has been the roughest of my life since the passing of my mother.  They closed the night with “Midnight Cry” that song is one of my all-time favorite Gold City songs. And if you ask me it has never sounded better. Bruce really sings it from his heart. To close the night Bruce preached a little bit and gave an invitation. Bruce seems to be a very sincere genuine man. He led the crowd in singing “There’s Something About That Name” and prayed for everyone that was there. After his prayer it was over. I made my way back to the table and talked to Josh and Roy some more. They said the new Doug Riley Tribute CD should be out soon. I told them it was great meeting them and left. I listened to Josh’s new CD on the way home and was blowed away.

Well after last night I can honestly say that this may very well end up being the best lineup that Gold City has ever put on stage, in my humble opinion. The new guys Josh and Roy really add quite a bit to the group in their own respective positions. Josh brings a dynamic to the tenor position that is not easy to find. His voice is very different from any other tenor Gold has had… The only one close was Steve Ladd. Josh has the range of Steve but with even more power and authority. He can also sing very soft and tender with a tone that is really easy on the ears. Roy on the other hand, brings a great musician and comedian to the stage all wrapped up in one like a package. He can really play the piano with ease and he does not show off, he just plays. What he really provides the group is his onstage humor. I saw Gold City last April and I honestly cannot remember laughing one time throughout the night. And I am not saying that I go to gospel concerts to just get a good laugh. I am saying that it does not hurt at all to have some comedic relief mixed into your program. And Roy helps to brings that and then some. Overall I would say that if this lineup stays together it could be the best Gold City lineup ever. And I grew up listening to Jonathan, Tim, Mark and Jay. That was the best lineup IMO but this lineup really has a good chance to reach that ‘elite’ status once again. I can’t wait to hear the new stuff. Their new CD is being produced by Michael English, and he will really push those guys to their limits it should be some good stuff upcoming. Tim Riley also has a solo CD coming out this year and there will be another CD of gospel classics along with the Doug Riley Tribute. So if Gold City is in your area anytime soon you really need to check them out. They will make you laugh and really impress you and you will come away feeling refreshed and renewed.

New Gaither Vocal Band Studio CD Has Release Date

• Daniel Mount is reporting that the release date for the new GVB album is August 8th. It will be entitled Greatly Blessed. They have not released the song list as of yet.

• I will be attending a Gold City concert tonight. I am really looking forward to seeing the new lineup! I will be posting a full report either tomorrow or Saturday.

Survey: Familarity With Other Music Genres

Daniel Mount has a very interesting survey going on at his site. It deals with how familiar are Southern Gospel fans with other Genres. I for one am familiar with several genres other than Southern Gospel. It really helps you to appreciate Southern Gospel music even more in my opinion. I am not saying that all other Genres of music are bad, but the vast majority of it does not really compare to the message of hope that Southern Gospel brings you… And actually some of the best vocalists in the entire music world are in Southern Gospel music… You can read more about it and take the survey at Daniels site. I am very interested to see how the results turn out.

Youtube Video Of The Week “I Sure Miss You” The Crabb Family

It has been awhile since I posted one of these. This week it is a song by the Crabb Family that never really meant alot to me until I lost my mom. Jason Crabb can interpret a lyric like few singers can these days in any genre. His voice has always captivated me and this song is no exception. I love this song and I really miss my mom but I know that I will see her again one day. Thanks to the Crabb Family for such great music and song.

Update: I can’t seem to get the video to work in my actual post. So You can click on the hyper link within the post (Click on the words that say (“This Week It Is A Song By The Crabb Family.) if you are interested in seeing the video of this great song on Youtube.

News And Notes

I have a few news blurbs and some thoughts on each to share today.

• Booth Brothers to release new album on June 1st. I have to say that I have been anxiously awaiting for this announcement in the last few days… The album was produced and orchestrated by Lari Goss, and that makes it worth buying. When it comes to a pure trio sound with maybe the best harmony going today. The Booth Brothers have something really special going on that I am in just plain awe of… I have and always will be a huge quartet fan, but the Booth Brothers just have something that draws me. I hope they keep this up for years to come.  I will be reviewing that project as soon as I get my hands on it. If you get the Booth Brothers newsletter you can hear clips from three of the songs on the new project. I have to say the song “I See Grace” is a very good song. The other two are very nice as well. Stay tuned for updates.
• Speaking of the Booth Brothers, David Bruce Murray is reporting that Joseph Smith has been arrested. He sang with the Booth Brothers for several years before Jim Brady joined. He also sang with the Mark Trammel Trio. This is a sad situation, and I for one will be praying for Joe and his family… Sometimes I just scratch my head and wonder what some people are thinking when they make crazy choices…(God knows I am not perfect!) But God is faithful and is able and willing to forgive any trespass.
• This is not old news by any means but it has been reported by quite a few SG news outlets… The Kingsmen are looking for a new Lead/Baritone singer following the departure of Phillip Hughes. I was a little surprised by this as I really liked the sound that Phillip gave the Kingsmen at the Lead position. His feature on their latest CD Missing People, “God Knows” is a special song to me, that has received a lot of playing time in the last few weeks.  I have a few possible replacements I would love to see join the Kingsmen. Including Derrick or Jason Selph or Jonathan Wilburn. Or even bring back Tony Peace and have Hutson take over the lead spot.
• Congrats to all the winners of the SGN awards. The Unthanks seem to have something special going on that people are really starting to take notice of.
• Legacy Five Foundation launched. This is a compassionate move on Legacy Five’s part for sure… I continue to be blown away by the classiness, and genuineness of this great group of guys.
• I have been working on a CD review that I think you will enjoy. It is the latest effort from the Old Paths Trio. It is a high budget release that is of very good quality. I really like this project and I am enjoying writing this review… It is my first review in a while… Be looking for that this week or next…
• Speaking of reviews, I will be attending a Gold City concert a week from Thursday and I will be reviewing that concert here. I have to say I am anxious to hear the new lineup! I hope they have their new CD out by then too…

Concert Review- Legacy Five In Danville Ill.

Saturday April 10th is a day that I will never forget… It marked two weeks since my Mom’s home-going. It has been the toughest two weeks of my entire life… I could not laugh or seem to enjoy much of anything at all until, April 10th…  Now I know that it will still be tough, but Saturday gave me hope that I could once again enjoy life and find laughter… On that day I was with my girlfriend, who is much more than that to me… She is also my soul mate and best friend… I can’t live without her… She was with me on this great day… I had ordered tickets to a concert in Danville, Ill. It featured Legacy Five as the headliner group. With a regional group Homeward Bound. It was Homeward Bounds homecoming… So I was looking forward to this day for quite a while but I was not sure whether I would truly have a great time… Ever since my mom passed I just could not enjoy anything that I used to enjoy… So I was a little timid about this concert…  We got to the Danville High School Auditorium about an hour before the concert, and I made my way to the product table. Glenn Dustin was the only one there manning the table and he recognized me right off, we talked for a little bit, and I bought one of the Legacy Five handbags. We then found our seats in the big auditorium, we had floor seats about halfway back which to me the perfect concert setting seats. We admired the auditorium for a little while and just talked to each other for a while… I then decided since we had about 30 mins before the concert started that I would make my back out to the table, and chat with some of the guys for a little bit. As I made my way out to the table Glenn saw me and waved me over, he immediately asked me where the groups trophy was. I was a little confused at first (as always)  but then I realized he was talking about how L5 had won the Southern Gospel Forums(where I happen to be a moderator) March Madness contest. I said “Sorry cuz there is no trophy” he said “O man I was hoping to pour Gatorade over Fowlers head!” I have to say that made me laugh at the image I had of that… Me and Glenn talked some more about other stuff like his passion for LSU football… After I finished talking to Glenn, I made my way over to Scott Fowler to make my song request’s. I told him I wanted them to sing “Hello After Goodbye,” and “Peace When I Leave It In Your Hands” Unfortunately Gus did not know “Peace” yet. Scott then gave me his sympathies about my momma and told me thanks for coming. I started to make my back to the auditorium when I noticed that Gus had made it to the table… I stood there for a little while waiting my turn to get to meet Gus. Everyone seemed to mob him wanting to know who the new guy was… Gus then made eye contact with me and recognized me immediately, and even though he had never met me, we had chatted some on Facebook.  He came right over and shook my hand, and gave me a hug. He said that I was on the L5 praying list and his churches praying list! I have to say that made quite the impression on me. We chatted for around 5-10 mins. We talked about the upcoming project that he is very excited about. He told me they are shooting for a late May release. He also said that the album will feature very little orchestration if any… The only instruments are Piano, Drums and Bass Guitar and maybe an acoustic. I will say that I am excited about that, I don’t think they have ever done an album with that little of orchestration throughout the entire album(not counting their A Capella album) That will put the emphasis on the singers and not the track! Gus and I also talked about the upcoming Remember The Music CD that will be coming out very soon. He just finished his part on the engineering/mixing side of it. He once again gave he his sympathy and told me to enjoy the concert. I will have to say that I came away very impressed with Gus as a person, I was already impressed with his vocal stylings now I have met him in person and he seems very genuine. Scott Fowler in my opinion could not have picked a better person, or singer to replace Frank Seamans. I will talk more about his excellent singing ability further down.

We found our seats again about 10 mins before start time. At around 2 mins till start time Scott Howard came out and put in a plug for the Singing News magazine. He tried to get everyone that was interested to come out and sign up. The auditorium was full by this time and he did not realize that the concert was about to start. Well the Lead singer for Homeward Bound came out and told Howie that they were about to start, and Howie ever the comeback king made a smart comment about the crazy time zones. He said “On one side of the stage it was eastern time and the other it was central time.” Needless to say he had everyone in stitches over that one. He left the stage with everyone still laughing, and the other members of Homeward Bound then took the stage. They sang for about an hour they started out with some great old hymns that they had the crowd join them on. They then proceeded to sing most of their songs that they had written or their sons had written. The two guys in the group are brothers, they used to travel as a quartet and just recently started traveling and recording as a duet. They also had a piano player who also served as their producer. Their names are Randy and Darrel Paddock and the piano player was a man named JD Miller. They were not bad at all for a regional group. They had great harmony and some pretty good songs. Some of which were a little to on the contemporary side for me. They closed out around 7 CT and introduced Legacy Five.

Legacy Five came out and opened up with a great rendition of “I Found Grace.” Which surprised me because they usually go with a slower song to start their concerts with. Gus sounded really great on this particular song. He is really comfortable and confident in his upper registers. They then went straight into “What A Friend,” I have always enjoyed their cut on this song. The harmony is smooth, and the vocal arrangement is nice. They sang “The Moment I Get Up There” next. After which they sang one of my favorite all time Southern Gospel songs. “I’m Feeling Fine” I can honestly say that I don’t think any group has or does it better than L5. To me they own this song. Gus really nailed his part on it he can really sky on those high notes with confidence. After they finished that song to a roaring ovation Scott said they may have to move their home base from Nashville to Danville. He then introduced Gus and had him sing L5′s biggest hit “I Stand Redeemed” I notice that for Gus they sing it with only piano. And they lowered the key about 2 steps below the original. I don’t think this has anything to do with Gus’s range per sea, but it may be more of an attempt to just make the song “his” without any comparisons to past singers. Because I believe that he has the range to sing it in the original key without any trouble. I came away very impressed with Gus’s rendition of this particular song. He can really deliver a lyric and communicate it in a way that few singers can. The man can just flat out sing a song. Mike Lefevre put it this way in a interview with SogospelNews about Gus. “Southern Gospel Music has many tenor singers, but few that can sing the part naturally and as flawlessly as Gus Gaches. No squeeky, weird, nonhuman sounds come from this guy, just an incredible, natural vocal that interprets a song like few can.” That statement sums up the singing ability of Gus Gaches. The man is something else.

Now on with the review. Scott introduced Tim and had him play a solo. Tim played his ever amazing rendition of “Wonderful Grace Of Jesus.” My girlfriend (who also plays piano) noted that Tim changed a few things from the last time we heard him play this song which was back in December. I reviewed that concert here. Tim is one of the smoothest piano players I have ever heard, and he just keeps getting better! After Tim finished his solo Scott introduced Howie and had him sing his new song that is one of my favorites off of the new album “Above All Circumstances.” The guys really have some fun with this one. There is some really nice harmonies spread throughout the song, and Howie really turned in a great performance on the verses. He is one the most underrated baritones in the business, and is also a very very funny guy. They sang “Thankful For The Change” next and that is a song that is much better live than it is on the CD. After they sang that song there was some of the best off the cuff humor I have EVER seen in a concert. These guys had everyone rolling with laughter. It all started when Scott was telling one of his stories about his boys that he tells at just about every concert. Tim was sitting on the piano bench seemingly minding his own business, Scott looked over at him and noticed that Tim was not fully paying attention to his story. So he walks over to Tim to give him the what for. And that is when the laughs started. I can’t go into full detail because I was asked to not describe what happened…(nothing bad happened it is just a little embarrassing for certain member of L5) Lets just say it was quite funny and went on for about 20 mins. If you see L5 in concert anytime soon be sure to ask Tim about his shoes… I will say this though during this entire laugh fest a woman that was sitting close to the front gets up and tries to slip out unnoticed, but nothing escapes Fowler… He promptly came down off of the stage and catches up to her and whispers in her ear that she was embarrassing him by getting up in the middle of the concert… To which the woman responded “if you don’t let me go I will embarrass my self.” Needless to say I laughed more during that 20 mins than I have in a very long time. I had a camcorder but I did not get any of it on video much to my chagrin. (I was running low on battery life) Well after all the hysterics Scott had the guys sing a couple of songs off of the Jubilee Record. The first of which was “I Can Hardly Wait.” They then sang “Life Will Be Sweeter” I can honestly say that I never thought anyone could top the Cathedrals on that one but L5 has. Gus in particular sounds great on this song. Towards the end of the song on the word “I’ll” he holds it out for over 10 seconds and holds the pitch perfectly on line, that to me is very impressive,and the note was a High Bb. And Tim on that piano turnaround is second to none. Scott then gave a testimony and read some scripture and they closed the Half with “When They Found Nothing.” I love that song and L5′s delivery of it. During halftime I got to speak with Tim and Scott some. It was so busy around the table that I just decided to go back to my seat and wait for the second half to begin. Everyone came filing back in around 10 mins later. The place by the way was packed out with about 1200 people. Homeward Bound came out and sang some more they closed their set with a nice rendition of “Then Came The Morning.”

Legacy Five came back out and opened up their second half with “What Faith Does.” I have always loved that song from the first time I heard it. Then Scott realized that with all the crazy things that happened in the first half he had forgotten to introduce Legacy Fives resident “Freak Of Nature” (Glenn Dustin) They featured Glenn On “Roll On” While not a bad song, I was hoping they would feature him on “Just Stand.” After that song Scott also realized that he had forgotten his song request list. So he asked the crowd what some of their requests were. An overwhelming shout out was given for Glenn to sing “I’ve Been Changed.” Scott said “You guys always want the freak to sing.” Well he sang it and did a bang up job on it. I think Glenn gets better every time I hear him sing. Then Howie who had been surprisingly silent in between the first few songs of the second half, decided to share what we thought at first was going to be a sweet story about Fowler… He told about how him and Scott had went to the Dominican Republic a couple of years ago, and they were walking down a street and they saw this little boy coming towards them, the sole of his shoe was just flapping away he obviously could use a new pair of shoes. Scott told Howie “I am going to help that little guy out.” Howie  said “Scott then proceeded to reach in his pocket and pull out a roll of bills that had a rubber band around them.” (By this time people were tearing up thinking that Fowler had done something as sweet as giving this little boy some money to buy new shoes) Well Howie proceeded to say this. “Fowler pulled the rubber band off of the bills and handed to the boy and said.” “Son if you will just wrap this band around your shoe it won’t flap as bad.” Needless to say Fowler did not find it funny, he proceeded to take off his shoe and pretended to hit Howie with it. The crowed howled with delight, these guys sure can make you laugh. Scott then started to set up their next song he said it was a song that they did not know very well, and that Gus did not really know it at all. So Scott asked Tim to sing his part and Scott would sing Gus’s part… Gus chuckled some when Scott said that. Scott said that they normally would not do a song they did not know very well, but a kid had requested it and he did not want to disappoint that little boy. Howie proceeded to say “Let me talk to him I will tell him for you.” The song was “Wedding Music” and Scott gave it his best shot… All the while Gus (who was sitting behind them now) was holding back laughing at Scotts weak tenor voice. In all actuality Scott did OK, but he is definitely NOT a tenor singer. Well right towards the end, at the part where the Tenor really needs to nail a high power tag, Gus jumps up  and kind of brushes Scott aside and showed him how it was really done.  Much to the crowds delight! Scott then proceeded to say “That’s good singing sister.” To which Gus gave a little curtsy. Legacy Five really does a nice job on that song, and I would love to see them record it one day. After all the laughing died down Scott went into a little more of a serious mode. He  named me from the stage and told about how my momma died, and that he was sure that there were more people there that were dealing with the loss of a loved one. They then sang my request “Hello After Goodbye.” I have to say that I was cried some, I had a hard time with the camcorder on that one. Scott then had Tim sing “God’s Been Good” after which he prayed and asked God to move upon hearts that were there. They closed with their beautiful arrangement of “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” Gus really nails his part on that song with true power and full voiced authority!

Overall I would rate this concert a 10/10. It was exactly what I needed that day. I know that I will be up and down emotionally over the next few months and even years but I will never ever forget April 10th 2010. I cannot thank Legacy Five enough doing their part. I truly believe God used them to really minister to my heart and soul. I have to say I can’t wait to see these guys in concert again, which will be Lord willing on May 7th in Evansville Indiana. Legacy Five is a group that you absolutely have to see in person to truly appreciate them! They will make you laugh and cry and just feel all happy inside… They tell it like it is but they don’t shove anything down your throat. They take their calling seriously I truly believe that with all of my heart. You have to see these guys to believe it, so go to their newly designed website (which is very nice) and check their schedule for a show near you. You will go away knowing that your money and your evening was very well spent.

Chris Allman Returns To Greater Vision

I will say that I am thrilled by this development! Chris was/is an elite level Tenor who is 0ne of my favorites… I can’t wait to see him live. Here is a video of Chris singing “Blessed Assurance,” with just Gerald Wolfe accompanying him on the piano… This guy can just flat out sing it. 

Here is a more recent video of Chris singing “God On The Mountain”  solo. This video is quite transfixing… I don’t think I have ever heard this song better… I would love to see Greater Vision intro him with this one…

And here is one more of him covering “I Can Only Imagine.”  The song is about a minute and a half in. He can really pick the guitar too…

I am truly looking forward to the future of Greater Vision with Chris. I am guessing that his first album with them will be their upcoming Christmas album. They also have another Quartets album in the pre-planning stages.

Some Updates

I have been away from the blogging world for a while… I lost my mom last weekend, her death was something that came as a huge shock to my family and I. This has been and still is the toughest time of my life. But I know that I will see her again… She was the most spiritual and amazing person I have ever known, I am proud to be called her son. She was always faithful to the Cross. And I hope I can do her proud the rest of my life.

There have been several things that I have missed out on reporting and commenting about these last couple of weeks. I was working on a couple of reviews that I had to put off. But I will be starting on those again soon and I will be posting those in the next few weeks. I will be attending a Legacy Five concert on Saturday in Danville Ill. I will have a full report up on that  Monday. I really wanted to attend the L5/Greater Vision concert on Friday in Dayton OH. But I had a prior engagement that I could not get out of… But I am really looking forward to the concert on Saturday. It will be my first chance to see the new lineup in person. I have the new Just Stand CD with Gus’s vocal. It in my opinion puts this project over the top. The first single with Gus is “My Soul Is Firmly Anchored.” Which is a song that I loved on the original but Gus IMO really adds a element to this song that was missing on the original. I look for it to do well on the charts. Here are some news and notes from the Southern Gospel world.

• Jacob Kitson is leaving Greater Vision. I won’t post a link since that is already so well known but I will give my thoughts. I for one will miss Jacob with Greater Vision, he had potential that I think was just beginning to be shown. I wish him the best in his ministry. For Greater Vision this is a great opportunity to start a new chapter… I for one would love to see them pull the trigger on becoming a quartet. I am actually not the biggest fan of their “Trio” sound. But however there are alot of people that don’t agree with me, as evidenced by their award winning ways… But I am just a sucker for quartets… (except the Booth Brothers and Voices Won) There is supposed to be an announcement of sorts from Gerald Wolfe tonight in the GV newsletter. I will be reporting that news here. Some tenors that I feel would be a great fit include: Chris Allman and Jason Waldroup, but those guys are no brainier great fits for GV for reasons that are self explanatory. Some guys that are not former members that would fit the GV “sound,” include: Jay Parrack, Wesley Smith, and Brian Alvey. The most likely out of those three would be Brian. I know that he tried out for Legacy Five so I think that he would definitely be interested… But as I said we will find tonight.
• Jodi Hosterman joins the Inspirations. I was quite surprised by this move, I really thought that Dallas Rogers was a great fit and I am sad to see him go. With that said Jodi is quite talented and I believe that he will fit right in.
• There are several groups releasing albums over the next couple of months. Be looking for the latest from these groups. The Booth Brothers, Legacy Five, Steve Ladd, Gold City and Brian Free And Assurance, among others.

Be on the lookout for the Greater Vision announcement and the L5 concert review over the next few days! Also if anyone is interested I am going to try my best to tweet from the L5 concert (I will be running a camcorder throughout most of the concert, so twittering will be sporadic). If you have a twitter account you can follow me here.