Project Reviews
Casting Crowns
Lifesong
I am semi-new to CCM. I started with Third Day and have since listened more and more. I think the style of Third Day and Casting Crowns appeals to me because of their relevant songs and vocal styling that suits my own.
Lifesong is Casting Crowns’ second release and I believe it is a real winner. Mark Hall is an anointed writer. He wrote or co-wrote every song on Lifesong. The overall message of Lifesong is for the church of today. I know a lot of churches who could learn a lot from a couple of songs on this project. One such song is Does Anybody Hear Her. Evidence of how anointed almost every song is on this project is how through literary artistic symbolism they can be relevant to anyone’s life situations in the past or present. I was overcome with memories, guilt, and then thankfulness for the grace and power of God when listening to Set Me Free. Praise You In The Storm was written through the motivation of a real-life storm that the band experienced through a little girl that suffered with a deadly disease. In the testimony before the lyrics of the song there is a very true statement “Sometimes God calms our storms. Sometimes He chooses to ride them with us.” It is easy to become bitter in the storms of life but as the lyrics say “And though my heart is torn, I will praise You in this storm”. My favorite song on the project and probably one of the best songs I’ve heard in any genre of Christian music in awhile is While You Were Sleeping. The song starts in Bethlehem and how they missed God becoming a man while they were sleeping. It then moves to Jerusalem and how they missed the Savior of the world dying on their cross while they were sleeping. The third verse literally hits home with “United States of America…… as we’re sung to sleep by philosophies that save the trees and kill the children”. Then the rapture comes and the song asks the question when the Bridegroom returns to carry His bride away, will you be left sleeping? All I can say is, Wow!!
Lifesong was recorded at Zoo Studio in Franklin, Tn.
Produced by: Mark Miller
I can’t say anything about the recording quality except that it is perfect. SG could learn a thing or two from these folks.
More than any recording that I’ve heard in a long time, Lifesong has really ministered to me. I would recommend it to anyone whose tastes in music even come close to CCM.
John Lanier
Soul Desire
I'm almost ashamed to say that this is the first time that I have ever heard John Lanier. I think John has been in music ministry now for approx. 15 years. I guess it is a testimony to how soloists are the minority in SGM. I gained interest in John's music after speaking to him via email a few times after he commented about my blog. It was then that I realized that John Lanier is the real deal when it comes to a Christian man. After hearing his music I realize that he is the real deal when it comes to being a great singer and it makes me almost embarrassed to know that I sent him a CD too.
While I haven't heard any of John's other projects I don't know if Soul Desire is his normal style. It is what I would call Progressive SG. Soul Desire was recorded at Church House Studios and Lamp Music. It was produced by John Lanier and Randall Wilds and engineered by Shane Roark and Mike Pillow.
What really jumped out at me when first listening to the CD was how good the tracks are. Right off the bat I could also tell how good John Lanier is as a singer. Sometimes a tenor is like a bass. They can carry a solo part in a song with a group, but it is hard for them to do solo projects and hold the listener. Much less have a solo ministry. John's voice is not like that. When you listen to John you can tell he would be an excellent addition to a group, but also has the finesse and tone to sing solo after solo without boring the listener. His range is phenomenal.
The project starts off with My Soul Desire in which it gets it's title. It is written by Mark Baldwin and Niles Borop. It along with Jesus Can, written by Ricky Atkinson are my two favorites on the project. On Jesus Can John is joined by Debra Henry and they sound like they have been singing together for years (maybe they have?). The song has a Lordsong sound to it. Jesus Can is simply an awesome song. Four songs on the project were written by Larry Petree. One being Hasn't God Been Good. This song might make even Baptists dance. I'm sure if John ever is booked in African American churches and sings this song the building should be built well because I'm sure it shakes. I think we will be singing songs like this in Heaven.
The only negatives I can say about Soul Desire is from an engineer's standpoint. On certain songs, one being My Soul Desire, the reverb is a little too much. Reverb is supposed to enhance not cover-up. John certainly does not need any cover-up. His voice needs to come shining through and at certain times the overabundance of reverb on this project holds it back. In my opinion the overabundance of reverb on this project and the lack of a de-esser are the only things that hold it back from being one of the best "recording quality" projects that I've ever heard.
Along with Ivan Parker, John Lanier will be a soloist that I will continue to buy projects from.
Ivan Parker
Redeemer
I've said before, in SG soloists are few and far between. In a genre that is dominated and defined by harmony soloists have a harder road than groups. Unless of course you were in one of, what many people call, the greatest quartets of all time. I'm speaking of Gold City with the line up of Ivan, Mike, Brian, and Tim. After a run like they had going solo is not as hard.
As usual Ivan Parker has done it again with his latest recording, Redeemer. As usual the song selection is excellent, the recording quality is excellent, and the whole package (graphics and photography) is excellent. For the second recording in a row Ivan takes a contemporary song that I thought was played out and made it his own. He does a fantastic job on Redeemer. There are a couple of advantages that I see with adding these contemporary songs. It exposes a lot of SG fans to contemporary songs with great messages who most likely have never heard them. It also makes it easier for Ivan to get his foot in the door of more contemporary churches and therefore expose them to his more SG stuff.
Redeemer was produced by Roger Talley and recorded at Crossroads Studios. The project starts off with one of my favorites on the CD called Let's Go To Church written by Rodney Birch. It is not only a great CD opening song but would be an even better concert opening song. Many well known songwriters contributed songs to Redeemer. Daryl Williams, Sandy Knight, John Darin Rowsey, and Greg Day. Maybe I'm just out of the loop, but one of the lesser known writers (at least to me), Michael Frost, wrote my most favorite and most touching song on the project. It is called If You Could See Yourself. The chorus goes like this: "He says child if you could see yourself through my eyes, you would see how much you are loved. You would see I carried a cross for you. My child, if you could see these scars in my hands, maybe you would understand the reason that I gave my life. If you could only see yourself through my eyes". Other favorites are: Between Two Thieves by Daryl Williams which suits Ivans tone to a tee and could also be a good male trio or quartet song and This Side Of The Cross written by Greg Day.
If you are the type that doesn't buy solo artists' CDs you wouldn't be disappointed if you bought this one. I didn't buy them either till I started buying Ivan's. Now I can't stop.
The Booth Brothers
The Booth Brothers
This CD has been out for approximately a year and I didn't think when I bought it, almost that long ago, that I would be reviewing it. Really after first listening it didn't appeal to me all that much. I kept finding myself putting it back in my CD player and it grew on me. I've always enjoyed the Booth Brothers' music, but this was the first project of theirs that I bought.
The project was produced by Phil Johnson, Michael Sykes, and Nick Bruno. Like a lot of the Booth Brothers' projects it is filled with Mosie Lister songs with progressive arrangements. The CD starts out with one of these songs and is one of my personal favorites on the CD. Thank Him For The Miracle is a medium tempo song with a great message that Ronnie Booth's smooth vocals shines on. The harmony is impeccable on this song. Jim Brady the semi-new baritone really does an excellent job pulling the tenor and lead together. Other favorites on the project are I Wanna Know You More written by Chaz Bosarge, another Mosie Lister song New Shoes, and an awesome song written by Larry Gatlin called Steps. This song really touched me. The project is, of course, the highest quality with top musicians, including Nick Bruno on piano and bass on some of the songs. The only negative thing I could say from an engineer's prospective is why some of the songs are different volumes than others. One such is the very popular Under God which starts out so low in volume that you can barely hear the vocals. Jim (baritone) and his wife Melissa also contributed two songs on this project. They are very good songwriters. If you decide to buy this CD just keep listening and it will grow on you. Right now I am close to wearing it out, if you can wear out a CD.
Jody Brown Indian Family
God Writes Our Story
The CD starts off with a song called On Bended Knees written by 17 year old Stephanie. It is a smooth flowing song with a great message. It is where the project got it's name from the lyrics in the chorus "You're the God who writes my story". Stephanie shows with this song that she is not only a great songwriter, but destined to become one of the best female voices in Gospel music.
I won't give a rundown of every song, but Stephanie wrote 5 of the songs on the project and co-wrote another with sister in law Ashley.
One of my personal favorites is Learn To Be Still co-written by Stephanie and Ashley. Ashley's vocals are superb on this song. I've said a lot about Stephanie's voice but Ashley has a voice that is a cross between Karen Peck, Allison Krauss, and Sonya Isaacs.
Joel Lindsey gets a song on this project with Precious Blood of Christ. Although he is only a decent vocalist, Jeremy Brown does a good job on this song. Like all Lindsey songs this one is a good one with a great message.
If it isn't already Jump Out of the Boat, another song Stephanie wrote, will be heard on the radio.
I would highly recommend this project. Especially if you like more progressive Gospel music.
The project was produced by Jeff Collins.
Executive producers were Mickey Gamble and Chris White
Recording engineers were Van Atkins, Jack Mascari, and Arthur Rice
The music tracks are excellent. The only thing I can say negative about the whole project is the equalization on Ashley's vocals. The equalization did not flatter her voice and the airiness it gave her vocal took away from the great tone that she has.
I think lots of times people who have never heard the Jody Brown Indian Family are thrown off by their name. Indian Family. They think of Native Americans in Indian costumes singing in the Cherokee language. Although, in concert, they do some select songs in Cherokee, folks who dwell too much on the "Indian Family" name will be pleasantly surprised by what they hear. With two of the best female voices in gospel music, songwriting and instrumental talents, this group is destined to be one of the best in the business. If they are not already.
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