A Look At The Upcoming Gaither Vocal Band CD Songlist

Daniel Mount found a copy of the new cover art and the song-list for the upcoming Gaither Vocal Band Album Greatly Blessed. He posted it on his blog here. Listed below is the full song-list from Greatly Blessed.

1. Better Day
2. When He Blest My Soul
3. Love Like I’m Leavin’
4. You Are My All In All
5. Please Forgive Me
6. Greatly Blessed, Highly Favored
7. He’s Alive
8. Ain’t Nobody
9. Clean
10. Muddy Water
11. That Sounds Like Home To Me
12. I Know How To Say Thank You
13. He Is Here

I have to say I am very excited about this upcoming project… August 10th can’t get here fast enough for this blogger!

By the way don’t forget to check in tomorrow for my joint mega review of the dynamic new project Declaration by the Booth Brothers. It will be worth reading trust me. I am more excited about this review than any other that I have done or been a part of.

Upcoming Album Releases From Various Artists

This is the time of year when seemingly every group or soloist is in the studio or they are putting the finishing touches on their latest projects.

According to reports and Facebook photos. Greater Vision, Legacy Five and The Booth Brothers have been in the studio all week working on Jubilee II.It will be released during NQC.

The Booth Brothers are releasing their newest album Declaration this coming Tuesday. I have to say that this project in my opinion is the best that they have ever done. Lari Goss produced and orchestrated the album and it is GOLDEN. I am releasing a Mega review with 5 other bloggers on this album… The review will be published here, and at the other bloggers sites on Tuesday… The other bloggers are Daniel Mount (SouthernGospelBlog. com) Brandon Coomer (Coomer Cove) Wesley Burke (Burkes Brainwork) Aaron Swain (Swainsmusings) and Phil Boles (Phil On Southern Gospel) So be looking for that Mega Review of Declaration.

Legacy Five has been working on a new “Classic Favorites” project for several months now… It was supposed to have been released this week but the release date got pushed back to sometime in July or August. This album will feature a remake of “We Shall See Jesus” I am pretty excited about that one… The other nine songs are listed on their blog here.

The Gaither Vocal Band will be releasing their newest project Greatly Blessed on August 10th, 2010. I am so excited about this project! To me that date cannot get here fast enough!

Wes Hampton of the Gaither Vocal Band will begin work soon on his first ever solo project… It is being produced by Gordon Mote and Marshall Hall. I am also excited about this one!

Ernie Haase And Signature Sound are recording their Live Cathedrals tribute project on July 24th. I will be there with fellow blogger Daniel Mount and will be giving a full report afterward. I am pretty excited about the opportunity to get to go this possible historic event. I got to go to the Remember The Music Taping and now this! What a honor for this Cat’s fan! This project will be released in October.

The Dove Brothers new project Unshakable will be releasing in July. I mentioned it the other day but will again here. You can listen to the entire project on their website here. I feel this may be one of the best they have ever done.

The Hoppers have a new project that they are working on that will be released in late summer… I believe it is being produced by Lari Goss.

Greater Vision will begin work on a new Christmas project soon.

Tim Parton of Legacy Five is working on four new piano solo projects… Two will be Christmas projects released around Christmas and 2 more will be similar to the ones he has already done… Except one will feature some orchestration.

So there you have it… I am sure that this is not a complete list by any means, but it is a good taste of the upcoming projects that various groups have been working on lately. Check back here Tuesday for the new Booth Brothers album review!

Gaither Homecoming Review: Indianapolis

Whenever I first heard that the Gaither crew was going to be in Indianapolis I have to say that I was elated. For I had never actually been to a Gaither Homecoming event before… I ordered my tickets around two months ago, one for me and one for my girlfriend. I had been anxiously awaiting the day to arrive for quite some time… It finally arrived this past Friday. My girlfriend and I met her cousins, and we went out to eat in Greenwood Indiana (a suburb of Indy) at a Logans Roadhouse, before the event was to start. Come to find out her cousins (who had ordered tickets about a month earlier than us) seats for the night were right next to us! The odds of that are pretty slim out of about 10,000 seats! Needless to say we were pretty excited about that development…

We arrived at Conseco Fieldhouse  about 20mins before the event was about to start and found our seats… It was my first my time to ever visit this venue. I have to say that it is stunning. I would have loved it if NQC had decided to move their headquarters to Conseco, for more than one reason. Around 6:50 Kevin Wiliams came out and did a guitar solo which I thoroughly enjoyed. Rory Rigdon joined him and they started telling jokes, and talking about the different deals at the Gaither Table.

Bill Gaither then came out to much applause. He introduced Charlotte Ritchie, who came out and sang one of my favorites by her “I’ve Got Joy” I am glad that Charlotte is doing well since she left the Easters. I have always really enjoyed  her voice since her days with the Nelons.  Buddy Greene was then introduced and sang “Just Like John” (I am guessing on that title) I am not very familiar with his work, other than that he is an amazing harmonica player!  he then did one of my favorite hymns “Come Thou Fount” that quite frankly blew me away. He was being backed on both songs by the Isaacs and they can make anyone sound really good… Buddy Greene is a very solid singer, along with being a great musician. Gordon Mote came out next, you could definitely tell that he is very popular with the crowd. I really enjoy his singing and playing. He sang a song I think was called “Rolled Away” but I am not sure… Like Buddy Greene I am not that familiar with Gordon’s music. Next he sang a great song called “Mercy Walked In” which is a  song that grabs your attention from the outset. His voice has very nice tone quality that compliments his terrific musical ability well.   The Martins then took the stage with a great response from the crowd.  They started out with one of their older songs “Joshua Fit The Battle.” After which they went straight into a A Capella medley of the Doxology, that blew everyone including me away. They closed their set with “The Promise” Which is a song that really fits the Martins well… It has a great message coupled with the Martins stellar vocals making for musical magic! I am very happy to see the Martins back out there together, I am really looking forward to their upcoming album. Russ Taff then took the stage. He only sang  song which was “I Believe” and had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand… He definitely knows how to master the stage, and to connect with his audience no matter what crowd he is singing to…

Bill Gaither introduced the Booth Brothers next. Much to my delight… I have always loved their harmony drenched vocals, to go along with their raw energy, and just pure mastery of the stage… They started out with “Castles In The Sand” which is a song that features their harmony to its highest extent. They went straight into one of the brand new songs next “All Over The World”  this is a song that has very interesting arrangement to it.(it is on their upcoming project ,which is their best by far in my opinion) I won’t really go into much detail on the actual song. However there is a review of the new album forthcoming, so you will have to wait until then… Next they slowed things down again with the most beautifully done version of the Mosie Lister hit “Then I Met The Master” that I have ever heard… It is also on their next project. They kicked things up several notches in their closing number, by turning Jim Brady loose on “Tradin’ The Old Cross.” I absolutely love their upbeat and fun arrangement of this song… It really showcases Jim Brady’s vocal abilities extremely well. The Booth Brothers are tops in my opinion. And other than the Gaither Vocal Band, they may have been the highlight of the night.

The Issacs were next. I am not the biggest bluegrass fan but the Isaacs are the exception for me. Their style is definably Bluegrass, but they are without a doubt on the contemporary side of the genre. Which in my opinion pretty close to pure Southern Gospel. They started with bluegrass hymn medley of songs, including “Love Lifted Me/In The Sweet By And By/Just Over In The Gloryland/and I’ll Fly Away. It went over extremely well. By the end of the song The Isaacs had the crowd riveted. Next they sang a song from their new project “The Three Bells” which features mostly Ben. I am not a big fan of this song, It just seems  a little to random to me, if that makes sense that is just in my opinion of course. Next they sang “A Little Bit Of Heaven In Every Gospel Song” which has a very nice arrangement. Next was their stunning A Capella version of “I Will Praise Him” Sonya Isaacs really shows off her range on this song, and Ben shows his abilities nicely as well… And their harmony is pretty much unparalleled. The Isaacs were a hit here in Indiana for sure! Up next was Lynda Randle . Have always enjoyed her ability to be able to connect with the audience in a way that few singers can. She sang a song that I believe was called “Walk With Me.” She closed with a beautiful rendition of “He Will Carry Me” Lynda Randle is a very capable vocalist that I really enjoyed hearing.

Finally the moment that we had all been waiting for. The lights went low and the music started playing and then the magnificent sound of five incredible voices started singing… The lights suddenly flashed onto the stage, and there was the Gaither Vocal Band standing their in full glory singing their hearts out on “Alpha And Omega.” The crowd was in a frenzy by this time! Then they really took off on it with their vocals soaring and the lights all came on, and the crowd went crazy. That song will never cease to be a great opener for this group… David Phelps was really on Friday night and it showed from the get go. The Vocal band then went straight into “The Love Of God”  which really features the two tenors David and Wes with some nice group harmonies interspersed throughout the song. Wes has really grown as a vocalist these last five years. I have always liked his voice and I think he has only gotten better… He is releasing a solo project sometime this year. I have to say I am really looking forward to that one.  “When He Blessed My Soul”  was up next which is really starting to become a big hit for them. I still personally like Gold City’s version of the song a little better… Mostly due to Tim Riley… With that said the Vocal Band does a stellar job with it. Mark then starting popping off to Bill which is always quite hilarious… Mark has some new stuff that is pretty funny and he was in rare form on Friday night! They used this comedy to set up their next song “Journey To The Sky” which always takes a little while to get started,with Bill interrupting Mark so much at the beginning and with Kevin Williams joining in, it made for some pretty hilarious stuff… Once the song got going however it was really good… Wes really belts his lines out with power! David Phelps was then featured on his Italian aura “Nessun Dorma” he totally nails this song.  His pure vocal power and control never ceases to make my jaw drop… He commands a lyric like NO ONE ELSE. He is in my opinion the best singer in the world bar none.

Bill Introduced Marshall Hall (who filled in Michael English who was greatly missed by this blogger) next and had him sing his classic version of “Jesus Loves Me” I do really enjoy his voice, and I believe he has actually gotten better since his time with Vocal Band. Next was the old classic “Hide Thou Me” they did this as a true quartet with David on Tenor, Wes On Lead,Mark on Baritone, and Gene Mcdonald joined them singing bass, with Bill on the piano. And WOW what a sound these guys put out… That lineup I truly believe would be the best quartet on the road immediately! Gene Mcdonald is a very good bass singer… Next they sang one that I don’t believe they have done since Marsh left. The song was “Give It Away” And they knocked it out of the park. They gave away some tee shirts, by throwing them to the crowd towards the end of the song. That song went over really well. Mark Lowry then stepped out and sang “Mary Did You Know” and the crowd really responded to this one with a huge standing ovation. I have always loved that song and seeing the writer of the song, singing his “Baby” is always a nice thing to get to witness… Marsh, David and Wes joined him for part of it, making some amazing harmonies stacked above Mark. They closed their set with a song that I have always wanted to see done live with David Phelps commandeering the tenor spot. The song was “Let Freedom Ring” and WOW did they lift the roof off with that one! David and Wes really nailed it… David’s verse was as strong as I have ever heard him! This song is so powerful and strong that you can’t help but get excited and blessed just hearing it. It was a great song to close out the Gaither Vocal Bands set in Indy. They announced that they were taking about 15 mins and they would be back to do a Homecoming sing along.

The sing along started with Gene Mcdonald coming out and doing “Up Above My Head,” Wes then came out and took the lead on Jake Hess’s part. Marshall joined in as well… They showed some old video of George Younce along with some of the other legends, singing along with the current singers. Gene Mcdonald really showed his great ability on this one! His range is amazing… I really like his voice. Buddy Greene came out next and did some pretty amazing things with his harmonica. He can play one of those things like I never imagined anyone could! The Martins came back out and sang “So High” they were backed by the other artists. Buddy Greene came back out this time with his guitar and sang a very nice rendition of “Shall We Gather At The River” he was also backed by the other artists. I really enjoyed that one. Charlotte Ritchie came back out and she led the other artists in singing “Tell Me The Story Of Jesus.” She is very good vocalist, and I hope does well in her solo career. Next was “Rock Of Ages” which started out being led by the Martins, but then turned into a video tribute to Vestal Goodman. She was such a icon and was so loved by her fans… Her voice was so powerful. She is truly missed, but I am glad we have the video capability of today.  Next was another Vestal hit. “What A Lovely Name” 13 year old Logan Smith came out and blew everyone away with his voice that sounds almost identical to Vestals… That boy can flat out sing… He was joined by Wes Hampton and Mark Lowry making for a very nice trio!

Bill  set up the next song by talking about how you never know when you will have a spiritual experience, it might even come listening to a secular veined song… He said one such experience for him was when Woody Wright sang “It’s Good To Be Home Again” at the Red Rocks Homecoming. He had Woody sing it since they were now “Home in Indiana.” I have to say that I really enjoyed the acoustical version of this nice song. Woody along with being a great songwriter is a very capable singer and guitar player. Mark Lowry stepped out next and sang a solo of “Make It Real” He is a better vocalist than some people give him credit for, and he can really connect well with a crowd… Bill talked some after this and said how good the night had been and then had the entire crew sing one of my favorites “I Then Shall Live,” I love that song! They really blended well together and that song may be Bills best solo (he sings a couple of lines solo) They closed the night out with “Because He Lives” and O my did Wesley Hampton and David Phelps really blow me away on that one! That is such a great song and I am glad they are still singing it… It may well be the best song Bill and Gloria have ever written!

After it was all said and done the night that was well worth the money that I spent on the tickets…  I have to say that Conseco Fieldhouse is a great venue for a concert, the acoustics are great for any singing event and if NQC ever decided to move to Indy you can’t get much better than Conseco. I got to meet some of the artists but not as many as I would have liked… I have to say I am not a big fan of waiting in extremely long lines just to shake someones hand… I did get to talk to Jim Brady of the Booth Brothers quite a bit! He is a super nice guy that really fits Michael and Ronnie very well. I will definitely go to another homecoming event without a doubt. My next one could be Louisville in December, where I will get to enjoy a Christmas homecoming for the first time! I can’t wait to hear David belt out “O Holy Night” LIVE.  I hope you enjoyed this bloggers perspective of a Gaither Homecoming Event.

Dove Brothers Offering Sneak Peak Of Their Upcoming Project

The Dove Brothers are offering a sneak peak of their upcoming project Unshakable on their website. I have listened to every song, and I have to say that it is a great followup to Hold On. It is in a very similar vein to Hold On And Life with some differences… They have included  some old traditional quartet numbers that will hearken you back to their earlier days but most of it is almost all country sounding… Which I don’t really mind at all… The most controversial song will be their cover of the Rascall Flatts hit “Unstoppable” Jerry Martin really knocks that one out of the park. But as someone told me who was sitting in on the studio session the day they cut the song it is very edgy… We will see who loves it and who does not it should be a polarizing song in my opinion… I for one love it… I could see that song and this entire album…taking them to new places possibly… Or they will just hold their place where they are at, and that is not a bad thing…

They are doing a great job promoting this upcoming album, just like they did last year with Hold On. You can go to their website here, and listen to every song all the way through via the media player at the bottom of their page.

Mark Trammel Quartet Concert Review

I have been intrigued about how the Mark Trammel Trio would sound as the Mark Trammel Quartet, well last night I found out… The church was in Bedford Indiana. Which is about 1 hour from where I live. I left early enough to get a good seat, (it was general admission seating)  I was making really good time until, my GPS decided that this church was in the middle of a housing addition… Needless to say after that I was hopelessly lost… And my GPS just kept telling me the wrong thing… I stopped at a Arbys to ask directions, and no one there knew where this church was. By this time I was nearing panic mode (not really lol) and I called a friend to ask if they could look it up online for me… Needless to say they could not… Then I saw  a library, and thought if anyone would know where the church was it would be someone here… By this time it was almost 7, and the concert started at well 7… I dashed into the library and asked the first person I saw if they knew where this certain church was… Miraculously she did! She gave me some poor directions, but she said one sentence that made my day… She said to get on Highway 37 and go north about 5 miles and you will see the church on the right… Well I ran back to my car elated for I knew where Highway 37 was… I had been on that highway 3 times but I had never went far enough north to actually see the church… Needless to say I arrived at the church at 7:07 and found a seat in the back for the place was packed out… Probably about 350 people or so.

I got a seat in the back of the church next to a couple who would not stop talking to each other… Mark was in the middle of introductions by this time… I asked the couple next to me what the first two songs were and they said the first one was “Gentle Shepherd” and they did not know the second… I believe it was “John Saw Me”  for one older guy knew that it had repeated the word Home quite often. So I put two and two together… After Mark introduced the group with some funny stuff mixed in, (he is a very good MC BTW) he had Pat sing “How Big Is God” I have always loved that song, but Pat really brings it to life, the youtube videos of him singing it do not it justice. Pat really has a nice bass voice that is very pleasing to the ears. He can sing a pretty solo or can rattle the floorboards. He is also a great stage man. After they sang “How Big Is God” they went straight into “Always Have A Song To Sing” which is a toe tapper for sure. They did the song with just piano and bass guitar. They did this for about half of their program, while the other half had tracks. Dustin Sweatman is quite the piano player, that plays similar to Gerald Wolfe in my opinion. After this Mark told the story about how Joel Wood came to the group, and Mark had him sing “Hide Thou Me” on the spot at his very first concert. Joel nailed the song last night. I believe he has really come a long way in my opinion, since that first video of him with the group popped up. I really like how Joel seems to understand what his limits are and he stays within himself without over-singing his part, or trying to do something he knows he can’t really do. I really like his voice, it reminds me a little of Liberty Quartets Keith Waggoner, they both have a soft easy tenor style that is pleasant to listen to. Next they sang the opening tune to their latest project “Leave Your Sorrows And Come Along” I really enjoy the style in which they sing this tune. They straight from that one into “I’ve Got A Mansion” This song is in the same vein as the last one, just good old fashioned straight up quartet singing. I love the old songs and I am glad that some groups are keeping them alive. Another old song was up next in “While The Ages Roll” I have always loved that song and the guys did a great job with it. The next song was a new song that sounds old. “Coming Out And Moving In” featuring Dustin Sweatman. I absolutely love this song! It is on their last project as a trio and I have loved it since the first time I heard it. It is a very upbeat bounce style song, that reminds me of something that the Kingsmen would do… They closed the first half of their program with “Loving The Lamb” I really enjoy this song… It was their first ballad song and it received a huge ovation. Mark Trammel showed on this song that he is still one of the best singers that this genre has. I love his voice and it fits this style song to a T.

The second half kicked off with another old song one that I happen to love. “The Sweetest Song I Know” The guys really nailed this one with Pat Barker really doing a great job on his part. Dustin Sweatman was featured next with a song called “What Good Would A Crown Be” I really like Dustin’s lead voice he has nice tone control and a nice range. Next they sang their current radio release “If Only Just A Few” Mark knocked it out of the park. I love the message and the hope in this song! They sang “Walking With Jesus” next. Then they slowed things down and sang a really nice rendition of “There’s Something About That Name” They had the crowed join them at the end… Then Mark being the preacher that he is had everyone bow their heads and close their eyes. He asked anyone that had a burden or a need to raise their hands and he would pray for them. I had my eyes closed but from what I could tell from what Mark was saying that quite a few raised their hands. Mark said a very nice prayer and just when I thought he was about to dismiss, he suprised us by closing with a off the cuff rendition of the old Florida Boys song “I’ll Have A New Life” They absolutely nailed this song! I could not believe how great they made that old song sound. They had to encore it twice. It was an awesome way to close the concert!

I have to say that I really enjoyed myself last night and I am looking forward to seeing this group again. I had always said that the Mark Trammel Trio was the best quartet without a bass singer. Now that they are an actual quartet I have proven myself correct. They are a very good quartet that will only get better in time. I picked up their latest project which is their first quartet album and I have listened to it about 4 times already. It is full of the good old classics that I really enjoy. They are working on a new project that will be released later this year. It will have new and old songs alike on it. And be orchestrated and produced by Lari Goss. And as you know anything that Lari touches generally turns to gold. So we shall see. If these guys are in your area go and see them! You will come away blessed and impressed!

Go vote for your favorite song of the 1970′s/1980′s

For the past couple of months David Murray has been running surveys over at MusicScribe to determine the “Song of the Decade” for several different eras of SGM. The final round of voting is underway for the 1970s and 1980s.  Head on over and vote for your favorite. If you are just now following it, Greater Vision’s “My Name Is Lazarus” won the song of the 1990s, and the Crabb Family’s “Through The Fire” won song of the 2000s. There are alot of good songs from the 1970′s and 1980′s and I will very curious to find out which one wins! So go vote!

The Old Paths- A Wonderful Life- CD Review

The Old Paths first came to my attention about three years ago, when I was looking through a message board and a post from Jeremy Peace caught my eye. He had posted a link to the Old Paths Quartet website. On the front page there was a link to a music player with Jeremy, and the Old Paths singing “He Chose The Tree.” I have to say that I was impressed by the sound and quality of this group, especially considering that they were a “lesser known” group. I ordered their Today CD. When I received it I will say that I wore that CD out, for I loved the quartet sound that they presented. I have always been a sucker for good quartet music. So I was disappointed in some respects to find out that after bass singer Brandon Barry left the group, and that the Old Paths would go back to being a trio. Not that I have anything against trios but there is just something about a quartet… But I digress… When I heard that the Old Paths were releasing “Wonderful Life” I was intrigued. It is their first “mainline” higher budget release since their Today album. I got it from Itunes to save time and money… But I will say that after hearing this album, it is very much worth the money for the hard copy. The Old Paths features Jeremy Peace on Tenor, Tim Rackley singing lead and Douglas Roark on Baritone. These guys have developed a nice tight trio sound that is not always easy to achieve… I will be doing a full song breakdown below. The rating system will be 0-5 stars for each song. 0 being the worst possible rating and 5 being the best and at the end I will give an overall rating.

1. I Get Excited-Great upbeat opening song for this project. This musical style fits the Old Paths well, on their Today CD they utilized this style on several of the included songs. This song is their first radio release as well and I believe it will do well.  I want to see this one in a live concert setting, good upbeat song. (4/5)
2. Eye of the Storm- This song featuring tenor Jeremy Peace is a very strong song that really touches me… I needed this song at the time I first heard it. This song has such a great message to it. That God will always be there no matter what you are going through… That he will always be in the eye of your storms. Jeremy really turns in a very strong performance on this song. His voice is continuing to develop a quality that really sets him apart from just your everyday tenor. On this particular song he nails some very high notes that his fans love him for.He really communicates this song very well. 5/5
3. Mercy Decided- Nice medium tempo song featuring Douglas Roark on the verses. He has a nice natural baritone voice that is hard to come by these days in Southern Gospel. The song itself has a great message of hope and forgiveness. It talks about how God’s great mercy decided to not let us be doomed. Nice song. (4/5)
4. He’s The Foundation- This song is a highlight of the album. It is very upbeat and has a great message within the song.  The song features Tim Rackley on the verses. His voice to me is very similar to Shane Dunlap of N’Harmony or Doug Anderson Of Signature Sound. And that is a very good thing! Tim is quite the vocalist.  The song will have you tapping your toes all the way through, wonderful song. (5/5)
5. Paved With Grace- I absolutely love this song. It really speaks to me in a special way. It really sums up how my spiritual life has gone so far. God’s amazing grace is truly like a road that if you stay on it you will make it to the Kingdom safe and sound. The guys turn in a great vocal performance on this song. These guys have really developed a nice trio sound that I really enjoy. Once again this a wonderful song that will really bless you if you let it. (5/5)
6. Too Far Gone- This is another great uptempo song that features Jeremy on the verses. Jeremy shows a little bit of a power tenor style on this song. It has a very catchy tune and hook to it that will have you once a again tapping your toes and humming along. Great song, that would make a great radio release. (4/5)
7. Calvary Touched-This is another great ballad song. I have to say this whole album is full of great songs. I am very impressed by the quality of this recording. This song features Tim Rackley on the verses and he turns in another quality performances. Tim is definitely very underrated as a Southern Gospel lead singer. This song is another that should go over well live. (4.5/5)
8. Saved By The Blood-This song is another nice uptempo song that features Tim again on the verses. I like this song but not quite as much as some of the other uptempo songs on this project. I do like this song and if you love a uptempo song then this is right up your alley. (3.5/5
9. Do You have His Robe- This song written by Rodney Griffin is an acoustically driven song that has a wonderful message in it. The hook is this “Do You Have His Heart Or Do You Only Have His Robe” if that does not challenge you then you have something wrong. I have been challenged by the message in this song. Douglas Roark turns in a great performance on the verses. I really enjoy this song. (5/5)
10. Wonderful Life- The album closes like it began with a bang. “Wonderful Life” is a catch uptempo song that also serves as the title track for this album. And once again Tim Rackley turns in a great performance. There is some really nice piano licks thrown in and throughout the song. I really like the title cut for this album. It is another song that would do good on radio. (4.5/5)

Overall Album Rating 4.5/5 stars.

This album should open some peoples eyes to the talent that this group truly has. I will always prefer quartets but The Old Paths really impress me as a trio. It is obvious that these guys have really put some hard work into creating a solid tight trio sound that is not very easy to achieve. I can’t say enough good things about this album and this group. Just go buy this album and hear the truth for yourself! You can order the project here. Or you can download it from Itunes.

Singing News Top Five Nominees

Yesterday the Singing News released the top five nominees for their annual fan awards. The voting will continue in July. There are no suprises to me in the voting whatsoever. I remember attending the fan awards last year with a good friend of mine. We sat there and predicted just about every winner… I don’t see that changing this year… I am not knocking any of the nominees whatsoever. It is just too predictable for my tastes. I also wish that the Singing News would release the full voting results… But alas I don’t see that happening. Here are my votes along with my actual predictions.The first selection is my pick the second is the predicted one. Here is the full list of nominees.

Favorite Artist: Booth Brothers- Prediction- Booth Brothers- They are still the hottest group going right now but the Perrys are close behind.

Favorite Male Quartet- Legacy Five- Prediction- Triumphant Quartet- They are a great quartet as is L5 but TQ seems to be the hot quartet at the moment.

Favorite Mixed Group- Perry’s- Prediction- The Perry’s- They are one of the hottest groups on the road right now.

Favorite Trio- Booth Brothers- Prediction- The Booth Brothers as I stated above they are the hottest group going still. Even though Karen Peck and New River is close behind trio wise.

Soloist- Jason Crabb- Prediction- Jason Crabb- He is the best by far out of these… Guy is a close second IMO.

Favorite Male Singer- Joseph Habedank- Prediction- Ronnie Booth, There are several on this list that are deserving… I would like to see Joe get it but one of the Booth Boys will take it… Can’t really go wrong here.

Horizon Individual- Gus Gaches- Prediction- This one is to close to call… It will either be Gus or Pat Barker. Those two guys are very deserving… If I was to guess I would have to go with Pat…

Horizon Group- Soul’d Out Quartet- Prediction- Soul’d Out Quartet with Ball Brothers close behind.

Young Artist- Brooklyn Collingsworth- Prediction- Amber Thompson who is very deserving. Her and Brooklyn are two of the best young sopranos in the genre.

Tenor- David Phelps- Prediction Michael Booth- If this was based on talent Phelps would win going away… But it is not… And I am not saying that Michael does not deserve it… Just saying…

Lead- Scott Fowler- Prediction- Ronnie Booth he is one of the best there is… Fowler and Habedank are both also very deserving.

Baritone- Jim Brady- Prediction Jim Brady without hardly a question IMO.

Bass- Tim Riley- Prediction- Tim Riley with Eric Bennett and Glenn Dustin close behind.

Soprano- Taranda Greene- Prediction- Taranda Greene, this is her year IMO.

Alto- Libbi Stuffle- Prediction- Libbi Stuffle without a doubt.

Musician- Tim Parton- Prediction- Jeff Stice- Tim IMO is the most talented of all the nominees, he fades to easily into the background however… I believe he will win one year but not this one… Jeff is also very talented and deserving.

Songwriter- Jim Brady- Prediction Rodney Griffin- IMO its a shame that a great songwriter like Dianne Wilkeson was not nomitated for this award along with others like Marty Funderburke, Joel Lindsey, Barry Weeks and others… This award should be split into two separate entities… One should be artist/songwriter and the other just pure songwriter.

Album- Jubilee!- Prediction- Jubilee this album is one of the best selling albums in quite a while… The groups that created it (Booth Brothers, Greater Vision, Legacy Five) are releasing another one around NQC.

Song Of The Year- When They Found Nothing- Prediction If You Knew Him- Both songs are similar but If You Knew Him is more recognizable since it has been out longer. The other songs on the list are very solid as well.

Well that is it for my picks and predictions. We will take a look in September when the results are announced.

Changes For Brian Free And Assurance

According to this Facebook post by BFA they are changing Baritones again…  Randy Crawford who rejoined the group last summer is leaving the group. So as I read on another blog about a different group, when they changed singers “The Gaitherization continues.” Derrick Selph is returning to take his old job. That he manned for 7 years, until taking the last year off. I really liked Randy Crawfords voice with BFA… He sounded great on their latest project Acappella but group changes are a very common thing so this really does not surprise me any… I think Derrick is a solid vocalist. Even though I think he could work on his stage presence a little more, he will be welcomed back with open arms by the BFA fans.

News and Notes Roundup

I have been away from blogging for about a week now. I have been working on a few projects that I should be publishing soon. I have a review forthcoming of The Old Paths Trio’s latest effort,I must say it is a wonderful project and that before you even read the review you should go ahead and get it! You can purchase it from Itunes or order it from their website. I will publish the review as soon as I put the finishing touches on it. I also have started working on two other reviews one is the Nelons new project and the other is the new Booth Brothers album. The Booth Brothers have completely outdone themselves with this project. I can see a Grammy nomination in their future!  But more on that when the review is published… That won’t be til around June however.

I am going to see Legacy Five tomorrow night in Evansville Indiana. I just saw them a month ago but I am excited to see them again so soon! I am debating on whether or not to write up a full report like I did last month. That will be determined soon… If I do one it will be published probably on Monday or Tuesday. So be looking for that and the Old Paths review. Below are some newsworthy items and my thoughts.

• Three Bridges welcomes Jeremie Hudson. I think that Jeremie will help take Three Bridges to the next level along with lead singer Shannon Smith. Interestingly enough they both have sang together before in the Imperials. Jeremie has been looking to get back into full time singing for a while now and even talked to Legacy Five and Gold City about their recent open tenor positions.
• Legacy Five will be announcing changes to their Memorial Day Celebration plans. It is due to the massive flooding in Nashville, and the ruination of Opryland Hotel and Resort. They have found an alternative location, and will be announcing the location and some surprises shortly.
• Check out this Gold City video it is quite hilarious.

That’s it for this week… I am hoping to be twittering updates from the concert Friday night… Here is my twitter link.