Concert Review – Gaither European Homecoming Tour – Glasgow, Scotland

As i had a prior engagement on the Thursday 22nd October the day the Gaither Homecoming Tour rolled into Belfast, i booked tickets for the following concert, on the 24th in the Armadillo in Glasgow Scotland.  Not long after the Gaither Vocal Band had experienced well documented changes, this concert was announced and so i was very, very keen to see what they would deliver.

The artist roster was filled with the likes of Buddy Greene, Janet Paschal, Kevin Williams,  Gordan Moate, Lynda Randle, Gaither Vocal Band and of course Ernie Haase & Signature Sound.

The Concert opened up with Kevin Williams playing, “Uncloudy Day” and getting the crowd focused upon the evenings proceedings. Then Bill came on stage and started singing a few well – known songs and choruses with the crowd. Bill then introduced Janet Paschal.  Janet can stand up there and really sing with such clarity and conviction. She pours out her life through song. I thoroughly enjoyed her set, as did the crowd and Bill Gaither who encouraged an encore of her last song, “God Will Make A Way”. Lynda Randle followed and the crowd warmed to her with her renditions of “God on The Mountain” and a few others. Buddy Greene was a great performer who did a few old hymns, notably “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and shared his amazing harmonica talents with the crowd. It is simply a level above what the YouTube videos show you with his talents. It takes it too be seen live to fully appreciate it. Fabulous stuff.

Gordon Moate was a great entertainer. Whilst i am not a piano player, my father is and he was very much impressed and indeed somewhat blown away with his stunning gifts. It would be easy to divulge into  superlatives at this point so just go and see him live. It is the only thing that makes you realise just how fabulous Gordon is.

Then the moment which for me, had taken a long time coming. Bill introduced Ernie Haase & Signature Sound and before he got his introduction finished people were cheering and clapping.  They opened with “Wonderful Grace of Jesus”. Now immediately with Ernie’s heritage with the Cathedrals, it is easy to assume that this version would be a copy. No way! The arrangement is tweaked enough to make you aware that this EHSS’ version yet retains the beautiful a capella integrity which made the song such a hit for the Cathedrals. Tim Duncan also was sliding down to some lovely rich deep tones. They then hit the energy button and performed one of my personal favourites, “Glory To God in The Highest”. The crowd response was so much that they encored it three times before moving on. There also was a cute moment where Ernie Haase had a little child come up on stage who was dancing in the aisle to dance with them on stage. The child played it perfectly and didnt get stage fright. A lovely moment!

Possibly the highlight of the concert came next. Ernie Haase & Signature Sound performed, “Oh What a Saviour”. One of my all time favourite songs and to have it performed live was something else. They used the same procedure as the NQC, started the song off acoustically and then the track punched in and drove the song to its climatic finish. Ernie really nailed this song and hit the high notes perfectly. Definite highlight of the night. From their new Christmas CD we got to listen to “Changed By A Baby Boy” a lively and punctuated song featuring Ryan Seaton. Ryan really has developed and developed as a lead singer with EHSS and this was clear with his confident, classy and composed delivery. They only performed four or five songs in total but for all you UK readers out there, EHSS are coming back on a European Tour which will include the UK. I will have a later post to explain this.

After this the Auditorium went black and deep bass notes tumbled from the speakers and sub – woofer. The Alpha and Omega track started, five blue-black figures started to sing….it was the Gaither Vocal Band. They sang the longest out of all the groups on the first half and they did not disappoint. The range of material covered “He Touched Me, Make It Real, Satisfied, Mary Did You Know, I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary, Journey To The Sky and Lord Feed Your Children”. Seeing Michael English perform was also a particular highlight and it is just emanates from the man that God has moved, worked and restored. His voice is something else, simply of those extremely talented individuals that can really sing. I loved his solo verses on “Lord Feed Your Children, These Are They and I Believe In  A Hill Called Mount Calvary”.  Mark Lowry was hilarious and i was in stitches during “Jesus On The Mainline”. I’ve seen it a lot on YouTube, yet it was just fabulous in reality.

The homecoming section had all the artists gathered round and featured some songs of the “Together” project which was fun to watch and enjoy. Bill called upon Buddy Greene to share some more, Lynda Randle had another few songs, the audience helped out and sang along when required.

It was a brilliant concert a nd the venue was also superb. Sound quality was loud yet not over powering or painful. The bass was warm and balanced, not booming or distracting. Tim Duncan’s low notes really sounded great. For anyone wondering just how good the “new” Gaither Vocal Band are, GO! you will not be disappointed. They cover such a palate of material that their really is something for everyone to enjoy. Sure there is even a dash of opera in the form of, “Nessun Dorma” performed by David Phelps.

I cannot wait until Ernie Haase & Signature Sound are back in the UK. What they performed and sang in Glasgow was not enough for me. I wanted more!! but I will definitely be catching them once, maybe even twice when they are back!!

The Legacy Continues: Gus Gaches Named Tenor for L5

Gus Gaches is the new Legacy Five tenor. Broken by Nate over at Nate’s Southern Gospel Ponderings. From reading around it would appear that this man is more than a tenor singer, add in the sound engineer element and the writing element and you have quite a utility man in the quartet. I look forward to seeing what Gus brings to the table with Legacy Five. Scott Fowler will have made a great choice and let’s hope this line-up produce even better projects than in the past.

On a another point, i believe we should be congratulating Legacy Five on the very professional way in which they handled this transition phase. Fans were kept informed, up to date and clear on what was happening. A class act. Best wishes for the future Legacy Five and Gus!

Read Legacy Fives’s perspective and other details on the new Tenor at their blog , located here.

Concert Review – Gaither Homecoming Tour – Belfast, Northern Ireland

The following review is from Chloe Brown. She attended the Gaither concert in my home country of Northern Ireland. I was not able to attend this concert as my girlfriend and i had a formal date. The following Saturday however, i hopped on a boat and travelled over to Scotland to see the Gaither Tour and my review will be coming asap. Enjoy!

22nd October 2009 saw the return of the Gaither Homecoming European Tour to Belfast, Northern Ireland.  Since their first visit to Northern Ireland almost thirty-three years ago, Bill and Gloria Gaither have revisited on numerous occasions along with a group of their homecoming friends. Each visit has always received a great response and positive feedback – This year was no different!

With a great line up set to perform, I waited anxiously for the night of the concert to come. As I had only gotten back into listening to Southern Gospel Music within the last eighteen months, I had missed the last Gaither Homecoming European Tour so this was my first concert of any sort – ever. What a brilliant concert to have as my first!

A list of well-known Southern Gospel artists joined Bill and Gloria Gaither on this tour. They were:
Lynda Randle;
Janet Paschal;
Gordon Mote;
Buddy Greene;
Kevin Williams
Ernie Haase and Signature Sound;
and the *ALL NEW* Gaither Vocal Band Quintet which now includes:
Bill Gaither, Michael English, Mark Lowry, David Phelps and Wes Hampton.

Even before the concert had begun, what really impressed me was that the artists were standing in the foyer, signing autographs, posing for pictures and taking time to talk to all their fans! – for me, this really sets them apart from any other performers as not only do they entertain from on stage, they also personally meet and greet their fans. Of course, I was included in the huge gathering of fans.. especially the ones surrounding Ernie Haase and Signature Sound! I know, I know, this sounds a little feeble but since first hearing them, it has always been one of my ambitions to meet and talk to Ernie Haase and Signature Sound in person.. It was great! They are so laid back, kind hearted and genuine good people. I know that they were probably completely exhausted with two and a half weeks of traveling all around Europe, but they didn’t show it at all. They greeted me with a warm ‘Hello’ and handshake, and were more than happy to spend time in conversation and get their photos taken with me.

Kevin Williams warmed the audience up by playing well known Gospel hymns on the guitar and with the help of three large screens displaying the lyrics, the whole audience were able to join in and sing along. Buddy Greene also entertained the crowd with a traditional Irish tune ‘Red Haired boy’ played on the harmonica. Maybe not my favourite tune.. but he’s an amazing harmonica player Soon after, Bill entered the stage and sang the old classic ‘Old Friends’. Despite tiredness, Bill sang exceptionally well. As did everyone else.
For the first half of the concert, each artist and group performed tracks from their own albums, which included Signature Sound Quartet performing two new tracks from their Christmas CD ‘Every Light that Shines at Christmas’ which was released last week.

(EHSS will be returning to Belfast on 19th February 2010 on their solo european tour – tickets and info available on www.erniehaasetour.co.uk)

However, I think I can safely say, what the majority of the crowd was most looking forward to was hearing the superb blend of voices which are now singing together in the *All New* Gaither Vocal Band Quintet. GVBs opening song was ‘Alpha and Omega’ which allowed us to really hear the excellence in each voice and how the voices blend to create a wonderful harmony with both David Phelps (also returning to Belfast on solo tour in 2010 check www.davidphelps.com for further info.) and Wes Hampton singing tenor position. Although this isn’t included on their new CD ‘Reunited’ – I would really have liked it to be as it is a wonderful song with true meanings within it taken straight from Revelation 21.

The Gaither Vocal Band sang other well loved tracks such as ‘I’m Forgiven’, ‘Worthy the Lamb’, ‘Satisfied’ and ‘He Touched Me’. As always, Mark Lowry was in full form and did not disappoint, keeping the audience entertained throughout the performance. I love how Mark is such a funny guy, but he’s not put in the group to be the funny one and to entertain – he also is truly blessed with a beautiful voice. I was glad to see Michael English live in concert as what he’s been through has certainly not been the best and to come out on top at the end is wonderful – a true example of how God works in and changes peoples lives.

Gordon Mote is one man who amazes me – a lot! despite being blind, Gordon is an award winning pianist. He was absolutely brilliant to watch and I can’t get over how gifted he is. I also got to meet him, he has a great sense of humour and is a lovely man to be around. He performed a solo piece while a picture slide show of him and his sons came up on screen, this man is truly blessed with a God given talent, beautiful wife, and gorgeous little boys! God is good

During the interval, the artists were out and mingling with their fans again, I love this aspect of the concert because it makes it feel all the more real, as one minute you’re sitting watching these people on stage and the next you’re shaking their hand and speaking to them!

The second half of the concert was the Homecoming set-up… with each artist and group on stage at all times and joining in with group singing. Songs like ‘Swing down Chariot’, ‘Holy, holy, holy’  were performed by the GVB and EHSS .. taken from the ‘Together’ Album. Janet Paschal sang ‘It won’t rain always’. This song was penned by Bill and Gloria Gaither and Janet is well suited to singing this song as it is tells of how she overcome her battle with cancer. She is now five years free from the illness.
One of my favourite songs, written by Gloria was also performed by all the artists together. This is ‘I then shall Live’. I was so excited and pleased to hear the opening notes of this song being sounded out across the arena.. and of course, I was among the many who joined in with singing!

Sadly, like every good thing the concert had to come to an end.. and for the end track, they performed ‘Because he lives’ with Wes Hampton taking lead vocals. The WHOLE audience took part in this too and it gave me goose-bumps. Not just because everyone there was singing, but because of the message in this great song.

‘ Because He lives I can face tomorrow,
Because he lives, all fear is gone,
Because I know He holds the future
and life is worth the living just because He lives.’
How true those words are

I can say for all who were at the concert in Belfast, it was definitely a great night for all ages, with wonderful songs, artists and singing.. but still without forgetting why they are sang – to proclaim God’s grace, love and care for us
I wish all the artists that were on the tour a safe journey home .. and hope they enjoyed the night as much as I did!

Legacy Five Launch New Blog

Via Scott Fowler on Facebook,  Legacy Five have a new blog. Check it out at…

www.legacyfive.wordpress.com

Blogging is a great way for the artist and fan to learn more about each other and to keep up to date. Head on over and welcome L5 to the Southern Gospel blogging world.

YouTube Clip of The Day – In My Robe of White – Gold City

Time and hairstyles do change!

Under Control, O What A Saviour + Signature Songs

Today i was listening to  the “Gold City Live at the NQC 2007″ album when it skipped to “Under Control” featuring Aaron McCune. I was well aware that when Tim Riley was with Gold City before Bill Lawrence and then Aaron McCune, this was widely regarded as one of his signature songs.  However when i went to versions that featured Tim on my iPod, i always found myself drawn back to Aaron’s version. I also find this with “O, What A Saviour”. I have listened to the Rosie Rozell version countless times and to many others, Larry Ford and Brian Free for example, yet i always feel that for me, it is Ernie Haase who really has the modern day identity with the song. For good reason. Ernie Haase is an accomplished showman and performer, who can communicate with a crowd very easily. I know Ernie Haase may not be everyone’s cup of tea, yet no one can deny that he works extremely hard to please the audiences across the USA and Europe (at the moment!).

I am in no way taking anything away from the original artists and singers who first propelled a certain song to greatness, in my opinion Southern Gospel will be hard pressed to find another Bass singer with all the attributes that Tim possesses, likewise with tenors, i doubt there will ever be a tenor just like Rozie Rozell. I guess that’s what Southern Gospel and the songs are like. An organic growth and progression which often results from group turnover allows songs to have a “shelf-life” far longer than some may have imagined.

“Under Control” and “Oh What A Saviour” are only two examples. Are there any other songs which you prefer to be performed by different people other than the original artists?

Under Control performed by Aaron McCune at the National Quartet Convention 2007

YouTube Video Treat – Guy Penrod Sings “I Need Thee Every Hour”

I was having a little ramble through YouTube the other night and found the following clips. It’s good to see Guy back up on a stage and singin’ his heart out. His voice does seem to be a little more “rugged” or twangy, totally understandable if he is marketing towards a more country market. Speaking of genre classification and the obvious crossover between country and southern gospel, Daniel Mount has a very interesting and thought provoking post at www.southerngospelblog.com.

The first clip is “I Need Thee Every Hour” followed by “Young Enough To Know Better”.  Both songs with great messages within.

The second clip was taken from the same taping/event and features the song, “Pray About Everything”.

Any thoughts?

Ernie Haase & Signature Sound Suffer Stage Invasion

Now that’s something you can’t choreograph!

Album Review – Paul Irwin – Forgive Me

The following CD Review is of a local artist who resides in my own country of Northern Ireland. Paul Irwin commenced his singing ministry at the tender age of 16,  at a Gospel Mission close to his hometown of Fivemiletown. Since then, Paul has had the opportunity to present the Gospel through song all over Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and in Scotland.  Paul counts this as a tremendous privilege and blessing to be able to share the Gospel through the very accessible medium of song.

Paul’s musical influences are derived mainly from the Southern Gospel and Contemporary genres. His all time favourite vocalist would be Steve Green.  Guy Penrod, David Phelps and Marshall Hall would also be stylistic influences. In terms of groups in Southern Gospel, Paul draws upon material that the Gaither Vocal Band, Greater Vision, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound and many others have recorded. When you consider all the different influences and contrasting styles of music that each artist contributes, what Paul then translates into each project is a great mix of material, from “Because He Lives” to more modern day classics such as “Thank You for The Cross”.

“Forgive Me” is Paul Irwin’s fourth album. I feel that with each release the level of quality goes up another notch. This is in terms of the vocals, production and basically everything! The initial projects were of a high standard, but Paul is raising the bar in terms of quality, the quality of the song selection, vocals, tracks and the aesthetic appeal of the CD case and contents. The presentation, CD inlay and the photography are of a standard similar to what the Gaither Vocal Band, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound or any other “big-name” group would produce. It is the simple little things like this which often can be overlooked, yet make such a big difference in the final equation.

The song selection has something for everyone. This is not to say that it is a mishmash of genres and stylings, rather it is a carefully pieced together collection of material that anyone can comfortably listen too all the way through. Often i find myself skipping tracks on other projects just to get to the favourites, but not on this project.  One thing  i particularly like about the project as a whole was the use of new tracks. The project does not always have the same track that other artists have used. For example on “He Made A Change” the track used was not the same one that Ernie Haase & Signature Sound used on “Get Away Jordan”. It is different and this really does allow for new interpretations which gives the listener a more original experience. Another big plus for me is the clarity and diction that Paul uses in his vocals. Nothing annoys me more than an artist performing a song where you have to struggle to make out the words. You do not have this problem on a Paul Irwin project. Every word is clear and concise without being too “proper” or compromising the musicality of the song.

Track Listing

1. Favourite Song of All
2. There Is A Fountain
3. He Made A Change
4. He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels
5. Thank You For The Cross
6. Go Ask
7. When He Comes Again
8. Tears Are A Language
9. Jesus What A Friend
10. Forgive Me
11. Favourite Song of All (Reprise)

Standout tracks would have to be “There Is A  Fountain”, “He Made a Change”, “He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels”, “Go Ask” and “Jesus What A Friend”. These are my personal favourites, the entire album is very strong indeed. “Go Ask” is what i would have envisioned the Gaither Vocal Band version had Guy Penrod had the lead for example. it was also nice to hear it being sung, instead of being partly recited like ol’ Bill!! On “He Made A Change” there is a strong progressive feel and an element of  Michael English thrown in for good measure. This works very well and slots into one of my all time favourite cuts of this song.

The album is not, however, a collection of  parodies of other artists. It is original and fresh, injecting new life into older songs, and putting a new perspective on others. I would highly recommend this album to anyone who enjoys  Southern Gospel, Gospel or Contemporary Gospel music.

The album is available from www.paulirwinmusic.com.  You can also purchase Paul’s preceeding album, “Castles In The Sand”. The website also has booking details, photos and a biography. You can also listen to some samples of the latest project. Be sure to listen, purchase and let me know what you think. If you have ever wondered what Southern Gospel, Gospel or whatever you wish to label SG, sounded like from a Northern Irish perspective, you will not be disappointed.

Upcoming Concert Review, Michael English and Other Bloggers!

Later this month, on the 24th October i will have the opportunity to see the Gaither Vocal Band, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound and others as part of the Gaither Homecoming European Tour.

It is an opportunity that i am extremely excited about, not least because it will fulfill a long-term dream and ambition to see Michael English live! Similar to what other bloggers do at SG concerts, i will endeavor to deliver a comprehensive and in depth report of the proceedings.

The top draw for me will have to be the “new” Gaither Vocal Band line up. Easily. The thought of English, Phelps, Lowry, Hampton and Gaither blending together is simply mind boggling. Lately i have been increasingly amazed and filled with wonder at just how good Michael English is. Listening to “The Prodigal Comes Home” on the way into Uni everyday for a week has opened my mind and allowed me to find new shiver-inducing vocal moments. Every song is injected with power, passion and proof of God’s AMAZING grace! Look for a review of that album soon. A modern classic!

On other issues, both Nate and Aaron have posted reviews on Legacy Five and their new album, “Just Stand”. Be sure to give them a read and a comment. What one can derive from both reviews is that this project is arguably one of the strongest that Legacy Five has produced. Only one way to ascertain for yourself….GET IT!!

Daniel Mount has a great conversion with Kim Collingsworth. I always enjoy these in-depth chats with artists. I always log off feeling i know them in a greater depth!

Hope you all have a lovely Sunday!