CD Review – Ernie Haase & Signature Sound – Here We Are Again

Here We Are Again - Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

Here We Are Again is the next chapter in the exciting journey of Ernie Haase & Signature Sound. This project, due out on the 7th February 2012, contains just three covers and nine brand new songs with fresh lyrics and ideas. In a genre where the issue of  fresh material is often debated, it is very refreshing to hear new songs with a unique EHSS stamp upon them.

It has been a long process of collating the right material together to make a project just like this. I feel that this is right up there as one of the best EHSS have ever made. It’s that good. The vocals are great, not over polished or sterilised in the studio, but it’s a more natural sounding project. I really like the feel of the project, it has a comfortable vibe to it with lots of unique styles thrown in. It’s not that EHSS decided to record lots of different styles, but more the fact that they waited to get material they could really gel with and make their own.

Song List

1. Swing low, Sweet Chariot
2. Singing In The Midnight Hour
3. Here We Are Again
4. I Believe
5. I’ve Been Here Before
6. You Are Welcome Here
7. Love Carried The Cross
8. Stand by Me
9. Everytime
10. Sometimes I Wonder
11. Thankful
12. Any Other Man

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Here We Are Again spools into life with the whirring of what sounds like an old fashioned cinema projector. This leads to some lively piano playing before the vocals kick in and the sound effects fade away. The song has a great modernised “Jordanaires classic” effect going on. The backing vocals are reminiscent of those the Jordanaires would have used when backing up Elvis. A great opening track.

Singing In The Midnight Hour

A neat combination of  guitar and piano kick off this driving, upbeat song. Key changes, fast rhythms and cleaver lyrics grab the attention and get the toes tapping. Doug Anderson gets the standout features on this great little tune. Doug excels on these types of songs and his dynamic delivery is perfect. His beautiful falsetto note at the start of the third verse is absolutely exquisite. I’ve hit the repeat button for this song multiple times, it is up there as my favourite faster song on the project. This song would be a good concert opener for the group.

Here We Are Again

A country infused song with a laid back feel that allows the group to all sing in unison. Another song that will go over well at concerts, especially when it’s a return visit! The lyrics would be a great way to start of a concert and indeed set a worshipful atmosphere for the rest of the evening. I love my country music and I really enjoyed the these influences sprinkled throughout the song.

I Believe

Ian Owens has his first major feature on this old classic. Ian’s upper register is showcased perfectly in this song and his rich tones are evident throughout the song. His voice almost has touches of opera in it and that style is a great marriage to the more musical style of the song. The song is filled out by some great harmonies by the rest of EHSS. I’ve seen this performed live several times, but with the full production it takes the song to another level. Great job! It’s a good song for aspiring bass singers to use as learning material and to take on board as another way to sing bass.

I’ve Been Here Before

When I talked with Ernie back in October he mentioned that “I’ve Been Here Before” was a song for Devin to put his own stamp upon and make his own. Up until that point Devin had only been able to put his stamp upon songs that already had been cut by others. Devin’s voice suits this bluesy style to a tee. It has a great lyrical message as well. As Christians we often can face similar trials or problems, but just like many times before, God is always there and willing to help us through. “I’ve Been Here Before” embodies this element of the Christian walk and drives home the message that you’ve faced problems before and God has been with you then….God will be with you again!

You Are Welcome Here

Stylistically I felt that this song had elements of broadway, layered up with lots of pop tones. It is a tender, gentle  story song about those who often feel outside the radius of God’s love due to past circumstances or choices they may have made. There is one lyric in particular which resonated with me. “Whatever you’ve done wrong, His love can make it right.” Can I get a witness?! Wayne Haun, who has been a massive part of this project, delivers the lead part on this touching song. Wayne is ably backed up by EHSS with some great pop tones used in the backing vocals.

Love Carried The Cross 

This is one of those all year round Easter songs. I’ve been waiting for EHSS to discover a song like this. In this past they have covered big ballads like, “Sinner Saved By Grace” and “Then Came The Morning”. This newly written song gives EHSS a big song of their own. The song starts off with Doug, progresses to Devin and Ernie steps in with a big finish and sounds absolutely fantastic. Ian anchors the bottom end with his consistent bass tones. Probably my favourite slower song on the project. With cracker lyrics and a big built up ending, it’s a fairly predictable formula but still works very effectively. I’ll be hoping to catching this song in concert in May.

Stand By Me

Ian Owens gets the chance to give us his magic on this old classic, it’s got a real Elvis feel to the introduction. The subtle tweaks to the song to set it apart from the original, released back in 2002, give it enough of a boost and keep the song fresh.  I’ve finally come across a bass singer who cares more about the blend than dredging out the bottom. I love low, low notes but it’s refreshing to hear a bass singer have fun with a song and not be a one trick pony by bottoming out all the time. A good friend of mine described Ian’s bass tones as “cultured”. Stand By Me just got cultured.

Everytime

Ok. I’ll admit the first time I heard this song I was not sure!!  The vocals, the style and the crazy fast, machine gun paced lyrics in the chorus all blend together to make one absolutely incredible, catchy and fun tune. It’s almost like a song or two out of Hairspray that has the quartet treatment. It’s extremely catchy. I’m always singing it around the office at work. Which probably is not great for my colleagues. It is the sort of song that if you were going to record it, you have to just go for it and give it absolutely everything. In concert the kids are going absolutely love this!

Sometimes I Wonder 

This is a song that could sound right at home on one of Doug’s solo projects. It has that sort of country feel. It’s always interesting to appreciate the contexts when things are written. This song was penned after a time of loss, experienced by Ernie Haase and Joel Lindsey. Ernie had lost his  father in law, the incredible George Younce and Joel had lost someone close to him. They penned this song in the difficult time after this. It captures the questions that we all have after the passing of a loved one. At the time of writing this review I had just learned that a real encourager to me as a blogger had passed away suddenly. The song took on a new meaning for me and I can’t help but wonder what Heaven is really like!

Thankful

If I’m not mistaken EHSS closed out the last concert I attended with this song. It’s a great song of simple praise to the Lord. Anyone who follows EHSS knows how thankful they are for their opportunities, their families and for their Salvation. Thankful is a great way to draw all the elements of a concert together and wrap it up into a simple lyric. It’s a gentle, smooth song which really allows you to hear the great harmony and blend of this particular line-up.

Any Other Man

Wow! Easily going to be an absolute show stopper. I watched the video EHSS posted about the making of this song and how it came together. It has a classic rock feel to it, but it needs that to really fuse the lyrical depth together with the passion of the singers behind it. The central theme is that “Jesus wasn’t any other man”, He wasn’t and it’s a great song to make people stop and think.  It’s a song born out of pain that fellow christians can often inflict upon others, but with a great reminder that Jesus was not like other men. Jesus would not do as other men did. He was simply unique. Plus that absolutely smoking guitar solo in the middle of it…..Kelly Vaughan is a real talent! Extremely powerful song and a great live recording give this song another edge. The conviction radiates throughout the verses and choruses. I really hope they sing this in Belfast on May 19th 2012…..

I find it hard to get a project that you can just listen to the whole way through without skipping songs. I’ve rarely skipped forward on this project. Oftentimes I’m skipping back to hear another song again! You can pre-order this project at the EHSS website here. Keep up to speed with all things EHSS on Facebook by clicking here. For European readers, check back here soon for a blog post about upcoming European Tours. 2012 will be a big year!

Listen to sound clips of Here We Are Again on the EHSS Facebook page or here.

CD Review – Gold City – “Somebody’s Coming”

Somebody's Coming - Gold City

It has been well documented about the numerous personnel changes that have contributed to the delay of this project being released. I’m not going to get into that and to be perfectly frank with you I’d given up blogging about the changes in Gold City. People would probably think I was recycling posts! In good conscience, there’s only so many ways you can write, “Gold City Replaces Tenor Singer”!

Currently, the line-up we have is Tim Riley on Bass, Danny Riley on Baritone, and Jerry Pelfrey on Lead and Dan Keeton on Tenor.  Tim Riley’s return to full time SG was welcomed by many fans and peers alike. I highly doubt Gold City would have made it through all the personnel changes without the experience and “road hours” of Tim Riley.

The CD is refreshing yet familiar in its style. A perfect example of this is the country infused sounds of the opening track, “Peter, James and John”. Country music by its own characterisation tends to be familiar and in this is its strength, listeners are comfortable with familiarity. The song also showcases the blend of the new group to good effect. Probably my favourite cut from the album.

Overall the CD is a good project, it was never going to measure up to the iconic Pillars of Faith album of years gone by, but that was never the intention with “Somebody’s Coming”. The fans, me included, were very keen to see some stability and new material recorded, but ultimately, released.

Much has been said about the new lead singer, Jerry Pelfrey and his vocal resemblance to Ivan Parker. I do not really see that connection, Pelfrey has elements of Parker’s voice in his tones, but thankfully, he has his own voice to build upon and hopefully won’t be burdened with a former Gold City sound label. I thoroughly enjoyed his vocals on this project. He has a big range, showcased on songs like, “Lord of Life” and “Showers of Blessings”.  

Overall it’s a very solid from Gold City. It gives a firm base from which to build upon from here. Hopefully the current group will be able to stay together and garner a bit of traction as they seek to move forward. Vocally they sound great together; I really did enjoy listening to the project as a whole. As good as it was, it left me thinking about the potential of this group. The current line – up of vocalists have a great deal more to offer. Just think of future projects,which would be tailored for this particular line up, in terms of song selection. The possibilities are endless.

Blog Motto For 2012

Around this time of year promises and resolutions are made and mottos are sought out. At our Church every New Year they hand out a little desk calendar with a scripture reference for the year ahead. It’s often reassuring to have a Biblical text on your desk as you move through the year. It’s also amazing how a scripture verse can apply to one thing in your life and when circumstances change it’s going to apply to your life in a different, yet equally powerful, way.

2011 was a very interesting year both for me and southern gospel. Northern Ireland witnessed even more concerts and 2012 could be even better! Throughout 2011 I’ve seen how God works things out. Or maybe it’s a case of me seeing that God already had things worked out for me. When I sat down and thought about 2011, I made the usual conclusions. I need to pray more. Read the Bible more. Be more consistent in my quiet times. Be nicer. Be a better witness. Then I really started thinking. I’m going to simplify this right down and I thought of the song, “I’d Rather Have Jesus”. If I have Jesus, I have everything!

This is my personal motto for 2012 and for this blog. I’ve included the lyrics and a video of Michael English singing it from a TBN special a few years back. I know I’ll get lambasted by the Crabb  activists who feel that Jason Crabb has it wrapped up, but  I could never warm to his version. I like Jason Crabb as a vocalist, I just  prefer Micheal English singing this song. (Plus it’s my blog!) I love his interpretation of it.

It is a hard song to listen to with an honest heart, let alone sing it with an honest heart. In our heart of hearts, who wouldn’t love to be “king of a vast domain”? Our human nature will often cast a wistful eye to what we could have, but ultimately, we are satisfied in Jesus!

So in everything I will do in 2012, I’m going to apply this simple lyric, “I’d Rather have Jesus”. God has promised that, “Them that honour me, I WILL honour”.

Oh and I’m going to blog more often. Hopefully.

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Than to be the king of a vast domain
And be held in sin’s dread sway;
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;
I’d rather be true to His holy name.