Update on “Greatly Blessed” – Gaither Vocal Band

The new Gaither Vocal Band project, “Greatly Blessed”, is one that I am very eagerly looking forward too this summer! In his latest blog post, Wes Hampton, one of the tenors in the GVB, revealed the set list and who gets featured on each song. Some interesting features!

One that grabbed my attention was the fact that David Phelps is indeed featured on, “You Are My All In All”. David Phelps performed this song on his solo tour in the UK recently. It sounded great with David on the keyboards and his backing vocalists, but add the dynamic mix of Gaither, Lowry, English and Hampton to the mix….WOW!

Here is the set list with the features:

1. Better Day (features Michael)

2. When He Blest My Soul (features Michael)

3. Love Like I’m Leavin’ (various solos)

4. You Are My All In All (features David)

5. Please Forgive Me (features Michael)

6. Greatly Blessed, Highly Favored (features Wes)

7. He’s Alive (features David)

8. Ain’t Nobody (features Michael)

9. Clean (features David)

10. Muddy Water (features Michael)

11. That Sounds Like Home To Me (features Michael, Mark, and David)

12. I Know How To Say Thank You (features Mark)

13. He Is Here (features Wes)

The latest blog post is full of interesting information, details of how Micheal English is doing after his neck surgery are in there, Wes Hampton’s new solo CD  happenings and lots of other details! Check it out!

YouTube Video: I Have Been Changed – Legacy Five

I had my iPod on shuffle last night and this gem came on. I love it when shuffle throws up a great song. This is a really well written and arranged piece.

The lyrics are very good for the believer, sometimes in life, the devil likes to throw up your past, throw dirt in your face and try to drag you back to a place you tried to forget.

Thankfully through Christ and his finished work on Calvary we are free from the guilt and shame of the past. It does not matter what you have done in the past, God forgives, forgets and will allow you to move on. God gives grace that can wipe away your past and make you a stronger person in the future.

So when the ugly and taunting ghosts of the past try to raise their heads, just quote this verse, Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

You can also now sing along with Legacy Five and let those great lyrics just sink in!

Concert Review: David Phelps (Ulster Hall – June 10th 2010)

Thursday 10th June saw David Phelps return to Northern Ireland as a solo artist for the first time since November 2008.  David is currently on a European tour and is making 3 further stops in the UK.  Glasgow, London and Stockton.

Revelation, the Northern Irish trio who have recently signed with Crossroads Music in the USA opened the show for David Phelps.  They received a very warm and enthusiastic response from the home crowd. Their set included songs such as, “At Calvary”, “Days of Elijah”, “Oh What A Saviour” and my personal favourite from their set, “I Could Sing About Heaven”. Thomas McCalmont really nailed “Oh What a Saviour”, coming the closest to Ernie Haase on this song than anyone I have heard. I am looking forward to their next project with Crossroads. They blended together very well, sounded extremely polished and also interacted with the audience nicely. A great opening act!

Next the promoter, Trevor King came on and explained a little about the work of Compassion. Trevor had the opportunity to go to Haiti before the earthquake struck earlier this year. He talked about the terrible poverty and abuse that young children suffer in that country. Compassion offer a way out of this terrible situation by offering the chance to sponsor a child. You can learn more about this very worthy cause here.

Next the entire Ulster Hall was plunged into darkness and the live band started into the energetic “Virtuoso”. David Phelps emerged and the crowd received him with a very enthusiastic response. From then on David had the crowd on his side. The first two or three songs were a little shaky, vocally, but once the night went on David’s voice got stronger and stronger. At the end you would not have guessed at all that his vocal chords were in any way not 100%.

Before the concert started I was on David’s website and read about how they nearly had to cancel the European tour as David had been diagnosed with an infected vocal chord after a virus. For the first time in nearly twenty years of professional singing David had completely lost his voice.  To then go ahead on the tour and sing the way he did last night was rather extraordinary.

David covered many  crowd favourites and i thoroughly enjoyed his rendition of “Let The Glory Come Down” Especially with his sister singing the same notes as him, it was a great entertaining performance. The live band really kicked it up a notch or two, it was probably the most edgy song of the night. Jack Daniels, insert jokes here, played the mandolin for a lovely performance of “What a Day That Will Be”. The only instrument being played was the mandolin and it went down a treat. It is the contrast in styles which also makes David Phelps very appealing to many audiences.

Other highlights included David playing the keyboard for “Fly To You” a song David wrote when he was bored in an airport waiting for a flight! The first standing ovation of the night came when David closed out the first half with “Nessun Dorma”. I have heard this live three times and each time, it never ceases to amaze me just how versatile David’s voice is. He can sing an opera classic with ease, belt out a ballad, rock out with “Let The Glory Come Down” and then sit on the edge of the stage and deliver a story song like, “There is a River”.

The second half was a more “unplugged” style, David talked a little more, kept most of the songs slower and more acoustic. This set also included the song, “You Are My All In All”.  This song is also going to be on the new Gaither Vocal Band CD. Interesting! It was a throughly enjoyable set, which concluded with the epic “End of The Beginning”. The crowd stayed on their feet after David had gone and he duly responded with an encore. After the crowd had stopped cheering,  he left us with the timeless, “No More Night”.

Overall it was a really enjoyable concert, the variety of songs that David has on hand is extremely impressive. As I mentioned earlier, he has the opera material, the contemporary, the more traditional southern gospel and then the sound that only David Phelps can create.

My personal highlight, listening to David hit and hold a high note on, “I Want To Live Like a King”. Pitch perfect, no vibrato until the end of the note. Perfect control. Wow!

David Phelps & Phil Boles

UPDATE: Video from the concert has been uploaded to YouTube.

Virtuoso:

What A  Day That Will Be:

Upcoming Concert Review: David Phelps

Later this week, Thursday 10th June to be exact, will see the return of David Phelps to Northern Ireland. David is embarking is on a solo European Tour this week and is planning to sing in four venues in the UK. Tickets for the UK shows can be purchased here.

For the Northern Ireland concert, the venue is the historic Ulster Hall. The Ulster Hall has a legacy of hosting great concerts over the years and to have David Phelps add to the list is brilliant. The Hall recently underwent a renovation totalling over £7 Million ($10 million) in just two years. The Ulster Hall also has great acoustics, so when you add up all the factors, it should be a good show.

I was at David’s last concert in Northern Ireland and it was a cracker of a show. David Phelps with a live band is an entertaining combination. It is a unique experience to enjoy the more contemporary side of David Phelps and his music. I am planning to do a review of the concert, so you can look forward to that!

Exciting news for Phelps Phans in Europe!  It’s now official—David will be embarking on a 10-city European tour this June 2010.  Get your tickets soon for this rare opportunity.  During the tour David and his band will be traveling to Norway, Ireland, Scotland, London, Romania and Sweden.

For a complete breakdown of European Tour dates and locations visit the Tour section of David’s website.

YouTube Find: Paid In Full – Heavenly Parade

The tempo of this song gets seriously fast, how they manage to keep on track is rather amazing. If I were singing this song, I could safely assume I would get tangled up in my words, trying to sing that fast!

Paid In Full are a great trio. They would have to be, in my opinion one of the most under rated southern gospel acts on the road. I love the lead part in this rendition, especially at the end of the song. The ending is lovely on the ears! They are a versatile group, collating together lots of different styles and packaging it in their sound. I will have to catch them if they ever do a show near Northern Ireland!

Mega CD Review: Declaration – Booth Brothers

Song 1: A Higher Throne

Daniel: A few hours before this CD arrived in my mailbox, I was pondering Lari Goss’s iconic introduction to the Cathedrals classic “Champion of Love.” It’s an instantly recognizable riff—and not just because it is the melody of a line whose lyrics we remember. It’s inherently unforgettable on its own merits. I was pondering whether Goss would ever offer another intro of that caliber.

Now Declaration isn’t even in bookstores yet as I write this, so it’s far too early to declare this intro iconic. But incipiently iconic or not, the introduction instantly grabs your attention. A soaring trumpet crescendo is answered by swelling strings and woodwinds. The trumpet sounds again, and the orchestra answers. The band kicks in, and trumpet, orchestra, and band set a fittingly majestic backdrop for a lyric depicting Heaven’s throne room.

Though Declaration is so full of strong songs that there will be stiff competition for radio slots, this song should unmistakably go to radio. Though it’s 5 minutes 25 seconds long, a tempo on the fast side of midtempo makes it seem to go by faster.

Wes: What a great choice to open the disc.  I love the anthemic feel of this song, and right away this cut shows that the partnership between Lari Goss and the Booth Brothers is going to exceed every possibility you’ve imagined since it was made known.

Nate: Agree totally with you guys about this song. I can’t help but get excited when I hear this song. I love it from the opening to the ending. It ends with a breathtaking, sweeping, epic ending.  You mentioned the beginning being a great opening stanza, but the song also ends on a great note. Great song that Lari Goss struck gold on again. And I can’t wait to see this song get staged live.

Daniel: I knew the song was good on its own merits. But not until several weeks later, when I came across the original, by Keith & Kristyn Getty, did I fully appreciate what Goss had done with the song. I should say that I rediscovered the original, to be precise, since I had already heard it. But the arrangements are so different that I hadn’t connected the two until searching for the songwriter.

Goss deserves to be named in the same breath as Beethoven, Bach and Mozart. It would take a talent of that level to take the original and give it this level of treatment.

Song 2: God Did it All
Daniel: This Ronnie Booth feature starts simply enough. A lush orchestral track featuring the woodwind section accompanies a beautiful, lilting melody about Creation. By the chorus, the song becomes a powerful statement of God’s sovereignty. The song builds into a huge ending that should equally captivate live audiences and radio DJs (though Daywind should cut the encore before singling it, as 6:10 is too long for a single.)

The melody for this Rusty Golden / Dianne Wilkinson collaboration has a fascinating provenance: Wilkinson wrote the lyric and composed a melody for the chorus. She brought up the song during a collaboration session with Golden, who proceeded to come up with a melody for the verses—without having heard her chorus melody. Then she showed him what she had for the chorus—and they realized it was a perfect fit.

Nate: This song is very well written and very well performed. I love Ronnie Booth’s voice. This song makes you take notice of just how good of a singer he really is. I love the message to this song. It should challenge you to get ready, and to tell others that “God Did It All.”

Wes: This is the first big ballad you hear from Goss and the Booths, and it doesn’t disappoint.  Ronnie Booth turns in a tremendous performance.  This should be a single, the length not withstanding.  Actually, the Kingdom Heirs singled “He Had To Hold To Calvary” back in the mid 90s, and it was 6:01.

Daniel: It wouldn’t be more than a minute of work to cut out the encore. They’d be wise to single it without the encore (even if they leave the alternate version on the radio compilation disc  for any DJs who want it).

Song 3: I See Grace
Nate: This song written by Jim Brady along with Barry Weeks and Tony Wood, is a song that the Booth Brothers have been staging for several months now. It is one of my favorites on this project. It starts with a epic sounding intro, that settles into to a great medium to fast tempo song, that is very well orchestrated. Jim Brady gets the lead on this song.He never ceases to amaze me with his vocal versatility and range, and he really shows it here. He has Michael Booth stacked above him for part of the first verse, making for some nice harmony. I love the end of the second verse that says “Those who have come through unbearable loss not defined by the past but defined by the Cross.” That is a great line that really defines this song and makes it a potential radio hit. I have been told that this song has been going over particularly well in concerts, and I can see why.

Jim Brady shared with me the story behind the song last week at the Gaither Homecoming. He got the inspiration from his sister when she told him about these cardboard testimonies that their church was doing. People were drawing out their testimonies on cardboard and holding them up in church. So in a way you could see God’s grace coming through their picture testimonies… So Jim got the idea to do a song about seeing Grace on every face, and in every life of the people they meet at every event they are a part of… And he took it to Tony Wood and Barry Weeks and they created this amazing song.

Daniel: You captured my thoughts exactly! “Not defined by the past, but defined by the Cross” is the line that defines the song. It moves it from a 3-star to a 5-star song.

Wes: I’d say either this or “A Higher Throne” should be the first radio release.  I’ll agree with both of you on that particular lyric, it really makes the song’s message come alive.  It’s a great reminder of the church being made up of imperfect people covered by God’s grace.

Song 4: The Gospel Song / Before the Cross
Wes: This song starts with the breathtaking acappella piece “The Gospel Song”, which features some of the most beautiful classical harmonies you’ll ever hear.  There’s then a musical introduction to “Before The Cross”, which is a ballad carried by Michael Booth.  It has an slight neo-classical or Celtic feel to it.  Michael sings the verses solo, with the group harmonies entering for the chorus before joining in the last line of the chorus unison.  The track builds toward the second verse with alternating unison, solo, and harmony lines.  The Booth Brothers have always been known for their smooth harmonies, and this song gives them a chance to really showcase that trademark.  The song continually builds through the bridge, key change, and repeat of the chorus all the way up to the last line of the tag, which is a soft, high falsetto from Micheal that brings the song to a soft, beautiful conclusion.  One of the picks of the project to me, it’s a GREAT song.

Daniel: No question it’s a standout, even among a project full of picks. After three consecutive five-star songs, the a capella intro is a perfect change of pace.

The song itself comes from the Sovereign Grace Music repertoire. People in our genre frequently repeat the charge that Contemporary Christian Music is lyrically shallow—and there is some truth to the charge—but Sovereign Grace Music is a shining exception. While their tracks are usually too contemporary for this genre’s listeners, the lyrics are as solid as anything in Southern Gospel.

The songs come from project Songs for the Cross Centered Life (2004). “The Gospel Song” (penned by Drew Jones and Bob Kauflin) was also done a capella, as the project’s opening track, but the similarities end there. While it was done with a solo female voice on the original, the Booth Brothers’ delightful cascading harmonies are original to this arrangement.

“Before the Cross” had a somewhat Celtic feel on the original, too, and that element was captured in the Booth Brothers’ arrangement. The neoclassical arrangement, however, is unique to the Booth Brothers’ arrangement, as is the captivating high falsetto ending.

Nate: This song is without a doubt a highlight. I was blown away by the A Capella opening, the harmonies are truly breathtaking.

This may be the best Michael Booth feature since “Trust His Heart” from the Harmonyalbum. The Falsetto ending was perfectly  done… I love how Lari had the orchestration built up for this huge ending. Then suddenly it slows for that beautiful ending. Great song that I listen to over and over again.

Song 5: All Over the World
Phil: This song opens with a lively latin feel, punctuated by some brass and percussion. As the title of the song suggests the Booth Brothers bring a different style of music and bend it towards the southern gospel genre.  The song is fast-moving on the verses and it really kicks up a gear on the chorus. The use of syncopation and after beat create an infectious energy that gets the feet tapping! The harmony is, as expected with any Booth Brothers material, wonderfully smooth and enjoyable.

Daniel: The first few times through the CD, this song sounded vaguely familiar, but I could not place it. I finally founded it . . . in my own iTunes collection! As it turns out, this song was originally recorded by Steve Green on his 1996 project The Letter. Green grew up as a missionary kid in Argentina and is fully bilingual and comfortable in Latino culture. He co-wrote this song with David Hamilton. I agree with Phil that, while the original Latino influence is evident (kudos for our Irish colleague for hitting the nail on the head there!), this is an able adaptation for our genre.

Wes: Are you kidding me?  Only Lari Goss and the Booth Brothers would have the guts to record a Southern Gospel samba.  I could actually see this song being done on an episode ofDancing With The Stars.  It’s a great track, and one of the most unique arrangements you’ll hear on a Southern Gospel CD!

Daniel: “…a Southern Gospel samba.” That phrase has a nice ring to it! So is it that the song would fit on Dancing With the Stars, or could you see them learning some nice choreography?

Wes: I could see this song being performed/played for the pros or even contestants to perform.

Daniel: Oh, okay.

Song 6: We Believe
Aaron: In an orchestrated ballad very similar, both lyrically and stylistically, to “Statement of Faith” on Legacy Five’s Just Stand project, the group lets the listener know what exactly it is that they believe in. Michael Booth starts the song off, showing off a nice lower end to his voice. Jim Brady then gets a feature on the second verse, with Ronnie Booth taking the third. What’s interesting about the structure here is that Michael, the tenor, gets the lowest feature, lead Jim getting the second highest, and baritone Ronnie getting the highest. Although the song is not keyed all that high, that particular arrangement of voices intrigued me. The song builds to a powerfully orchestrated finish that Goss is known for producing.

Daniel: The solo order also intrigued me. This song is instantly familiar to long-time listeners of Inspirational / CCM radio, since it was a big hit for Steve Green in 1991. However, it has been long enough and enough people in Southern Gospel may never have heard of it that it’s time to bring it back.

Wes: This song was also recorded by the Imperials on their mid-90s album ’Til He Comes.  I, too, noticed the order of the solos, and was impressed with Michael Booth’s lower range.  It’s a good song no matter who sings it, and the Booth Brothers are no exception.

Nate: I have to say that this may be my favorite cut on this Album. On an album full of great songs… I love how they did the solos, it shows the incredible versatility of all three singers. I could see this song being huge for them… I am looking forward to seeing it staged live. This is one incredible song, and one awesome arrangement of said song!

Brandon: Nate, you will not be disappointed when you see this song staged.  It brought the congregation to its feet when I saw the Booth Brothers last week.  I also think the song works wonderfully with the group’s focus on the scripture during their concerts.

Song 7: I Still Believe in the Church
Wes: This song is a cover of a song released by Friends IV on their CD, One Voice.  It’s got a funky, uptown soul/jazz feel to it.  The Booth Brothers lay down some incredibly smooth harmonies with some nice jazz chording throughout the song.  Jim Brady does a remarkable job on the bridge that definitely deserves a mention.  He’s definitely got the soulful sound that this song demands.  I think I like the Friends IV version a little better, but the Booth Brothers do an incredible job on this as well.

Phil: This song reminded me of a more up-tempo version of the Gaither Vocal Band song, “The Church Triumphant”. In saying that, the two songs are very different, lyrically speaking. I agree on your thoughts on Jim Brady’s vocals on the bridge, the jazz style compliments the smooth harmonies of the Booth Brothers.

Song 8: Then I Met the Master
Brandon: When I first saw this song on the track list, I really wasn’t looking forward to it.  I expected it to be the same tenor led arrangement that you usually hear.  I should have known better with Lari Goss and the Booth Brothers.

The song begins acappella with a choir providing some background and percussion-like beats while Ronnie Booth delivers a very smooth, understated verse.  As the first chorus is reached, the choir becomes a touch louder and some light orchestration and piano can be heard.  Ronnie again has the solo on the second verse, but without the choir backing him.  The choir is also left out of the second chorus, but returns following a bridge for the final chorus, along with increased orchestrations, to build up to the huge Goss finish.

As I said, I wasn’t expecting much, but the Booths and Goss have delivered the best version of the song I’ve ever heard.  This is easily one of my favorite songs on the project.

Nate: I could not agree more with Brandon’s thoughts on this particular song. I also think it is the best version of this song that I have ever heard.

Daniel: Perhaps due in part to the family ties (Michael Booth being Mosie Lister’s son-in-law), the Booth Brothers put a Mosie Lister song on every project. Though this is one of his most recognizable tunes, they unquestionably made the right decision by putting off doing their own version until they had the chance to work with Lari Goss. This arrangement does breathe new life into a great lyric that has too often been done poorly.

Wes: I always enjoyed Jay Parrack singing this song with Gold City, but I have to agree with the others that this has instantly become my favorite version of the classic.  Lister’s timeless classic combined with Goss’s touch with big ballad arrangements and orchestrations combined with the flawless voices and harmony of the Booth Brothers…you can’t ask for more than that!

Phil: Making a classic like this sound fresh and “new” is no easy task. The combination of Lari Goss and the wonderful harmony of the Booth Brothers,  it truly lifts up this rendition as one of the best I have ever heard.

Song 9: This is the Day / I’m Gonna Keep on Singing
Brandon: Several years ago, “This Is The Day” made a comeback with a handful of groups recording it in a small time frame (The Perrys, Southern Sound Quartet, and I believe the Florida Boys). Most, if not all, of those arrangements featured a bass lead. Since the Booth Brothers don’t have a bass singer, I knew the group would give us an updated take on it. This arrangement is one of the few up tempo tracks on the project, which surprises me because with the Booth Brothers, I typically think of “barn burners” like “Still Feeling Fine” and “I’ve Been Changed.”

It starts out with an great kick off featuring the brass section that lets the listener know this is going to be a really fun song from the start. Ronnie and Jim trade the solos parts back and forth before a nice bridge transitions the song into two choruses of “I’m Gonna Keep On Singing”. The medley goes back to “This Is The Day” for a final chorus and ending.

On a project featuring very few up tempo numbers, this track was a welcome change of pace and one of my favorite songs on the project.

Phil: I agree about the change of pace, it was good to hear something a little different. Ballads and epic arrangements are brilliant, especially the caliber found on this project, but it’s nice to hear the Booth Brothers pull out a “barn burner” as Brandon accurately put it!

Daniel: Your memory serves you correctly—the Florida Boys cut the song in 2005, onSing Your Blues Away.

Wes: This is a great uptempo track.  “Keep On Singing” is another Friends IV connection, which is not surprising since Goss worked closely with them, and the Booth Brothers have the vocal talent and blend to pull some of those songs off.

Song 10: Absolute Peace
Aaron: This particular track of this project throws the listener a curve ball. The piano and strings intro sounds like it will lead up to a tender, stripped down Michael Booth feature, but about ten seconds, light drums kick in and a saxophone is added to give the song a soft jazz feel, and the song ends up being a group feature. The trio’s harmonies really shine here on top of the soft musical background.

Wes: I’m a jazz nut, and Aaron is right, this does have a nice light jazz feel, and really gives the group a chance to show off their smooth harmonies.  It’s a gorgeous song that is a highlight of the disc.

Brandon: I agree with Wes that this is one of the highlights on the project.  The saxophone and easy feel gives the track a sound that would have been at home on the group’s This Stage Of Grace project from almost ten years ago.

Song 11: In Christ Alone Medley
Nate: I have to say that this is a favorite of mine on this album. It actually combines two songs by the same name into one. The first song of this medley was written by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty. I actually remember hearing it when the Contemporary group the Newsboys. Natalie Grant and Lauren Talley have also recorded this song.

The other song by the same name was also originally a contemporary Praise and Worship hit song. That was a big hit for Michael English, and has also been covered by Brian Littrell and Phillips Craig And Dean, among others.  In the Southern Gospel world, the Kingdom Heirs covered it about ten years ago, featuring Eric Bennett. In the Booth Brothers’ stunning version, these songs were flawlessly combined. If you had not heard either song before you would think that it was all one song.

Ronnie Booth gets the feature throughout most of this song. You would think that Ronnie’s voice would not really fit into the Praise and Worship type feel of this song, but he shows his amazing versatility here. His voice is one of the smoothest in the business, and he enunciates his words like no one else. Musically it is given a slower acoustic feel that really compliments the lyrics nicely. The Booth Brothers have covered Contemporary hits before (see “Crucified With Christ”),  and here they tackle two in one and make them their own. I really like this medley and I can’t wait to see it sung live.

Daniel: In our genre, the Rick Webb Family and the Childress Family have also both released versions of the song. But after Lauren Talley released what will be a signature arrangement several months ago, I was inclined to think nobody else in our genre should touch the song.

I was wrong.

While the Booth Brothers don’t match the climactic intensity of the triumphal third verse in Lauren Talley’s arrangement, they take the song in a different direction, different enough to make it their own. There is more than enough room in the genre for versions so different—and so equally powerful.

Aaron: I was curious as to how this cover of “In Christ Alone” would sound. The arrangement itself is very similar to the Phillips, Craig, & Dean version a few years back, blending the Newsboys song with the Michael English hit. However, the big, Lari Goss orchestrated sound gives the song a flavor of it’s own. Michael Booth absolutely nails his solo phrase when the Michael English version starts, adding all the more to the powerful sound on this track.

Wes: While the two songs share a title, rhythmically they are very different, and I was a bit concerned about the transition from one to the other, but with the genius of Goss doing the arranging, I should have known better.  Both the praise chorus and English’s CCM hit are incredible tunes, and this medley doesn’t disappoint in combining them.  It’s one of the most powerful songs on the project.

Phil: It is interesting how two very different songs can be married together with such brilliance. “In Christ Alone (My Hope is Found)” would probably be my favourite contemporary song. I am a big fan of Michael English and his CCM version of “In Christ Alone”. To then have Ronnie Booth’s fabulously smooth voice thread the two songs together, it creates a powerful medley. This has to be my personal favourite on the project, although it was very hard to single out one!

Bonus Track (Statement of Faith)

Phil: Statement of Faith is a great song. Lyrically, as the title suggests, it sets out what Christians believe. I feel that this song, placed at the end, as a bonus track, really ties together what the Booth Brothers set out to achieve in the making of this project. They wanted to make to set out their beliefs and Statement of Faith allows them to do that.

Daniel: While the song was not on my pre-release copy, it is the same song as Legacy Five included on Just Stand (with the Booth Brothers, Greater Vision, and the Hoppers)—though for Declaration, the Booth Brothers cut their own vocals for the verses.

Radio Picks:

Daniel: A Higher Throne, God Did it All, We Believe, I See Grace.

Nate: A Higher Throne, I See Grace, We Believe, Before The Cross.

Aaron: A Higher Throne, God Did It All, I See Grace, Before The Cross.

Phil: I See Grace, This Is The Day, Absolute Peace, In Christ Alone.

Brandon: A Higher Throne, God Did It All, I See Grace, This Is The Day/I’m Gonna Keep On Singing

Wes: A Higher Throne, God Did It All, I See Grace, Absolute Peace

Conclusions

Daniel: Every now and then, a group will release a landmark project that raises the bar for that group. Declaration raises the bar for Southern Gospel.

Nate: I agree with Daniel about the raising of the bar… This album blazes new trails in some respects for the Booth Brothers, who are more known for their country sounding flair drenched with their rich harmonies. Here they take the big ballad approach by storm. While still throwing in some songs that harken back to their more well known musical style. The Booth Brothers really show off their versatility and ability to tackle any style of song on this album. Their pairing with Lari Goss was perfect, and he really added alot to this album as he does for any group. This is a great album that every fan of Southern Gospel should add to their collection.

Aaron: It has been said that whenever Lari Goss is involved in something, it turns to gold. But what happens when he works with a group who is already considered “gold,” consistently sweeping the Fan Awards year after year? Declaration is the result of that collaboration. This project has it all; stellar song choice and vocals, great sound, and unique arrangements. The pairing of the Booth Brothers tight harmonies and Goss’ lush orchestrations was a match made in Heaven.

Only time will tell whether this will be counted among both Goss’ and the Booth Brothers’ greatest products, but if I could take a guess, I’d say this would be a solid candidate.

Phil: A project which is simply unique. The quality of the orchestrations are magnificent. Lari Goss has the talent which many will simply dream of having. Lari Goss has the ability to create music that perfectly suits whatever group he is working with. This is evident withDeclaration. The vocals are perfect and the lyrical content of the songs adds a further dimension. If the project had a  sprinkling of more up-tempo songs to add a little variety, I’d be naming this as one of the best Southern Gospel projects in recent years.

Brandon: I have a feeling that I’m going to be the lone dissenting voice when I say that I like the pieces (individual tracks) more than the project as a whole.  Every track found on the project is phenomenal, but when I look at the complete project, I’m left slightly disappointed.  Lari Goss’ orchestrations are out of this world, but when hit with them one after another, the songs begin to run together.  I have found that I enjoy the CD more when I listen to the first half, take a break, and then finish listening to the CD.  I think a  large part of that is a lack of fast songs on the project.  If the big orchestrated songs were interspersed more with uptempo tracks, I think I would have enjoyed the project a lot more.  With that said, I still think Declaration is a great project, probably one of the year’s best, but it just misses what it could have been.

Wes: I understand Brandon’s points above, and they are valid.  The fact that each song has an “in your face” arrangement can be overwhelming.  There really could have been one or two more fast songs included to give the album a little more variety.    That being said, I couldn’t imagine removing any of the tracks that are there.  Each track is a standout in its own right.  The Booth Brothers have always been known for their smooth, rich harmonies, and to pair that ability with the creative genius that is Lari Goss is almost too good to be true.  The songs on this project more than live up to that massive potential.  This will go down as a landmark album, at least for the Booth Brothers as an artist, and quite possibly in the industry as well.  The same things may be said about this project in 15 years or so that we currently hear said about projects like Pillars of Faith by Gold City or Symphony of Praise by the Cathedrals.  The listener is just drenched in breathtaking arrangements, strong lyrics, and gorgeous harmonies.  Yes, it’s that good.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

I had the privilege to work with several southern gospel bloggers on this project; Brandon Coomer, Nate Stainbrook, Aaron Swain, Daniel Mount and Wesley Burke. Thanks guys!

Undertaking a review like this requires a great deal of co-ordination. Thanks to Daniel Mount for initiating the review in the first place. I enjoyed the opportunity to review the Booth Brothers new project. I ’m looking forward to doing another one soon.