Our ten regular reviewers all attend concerts, but between us all (even with Diana Brantley’s frequent and appreciated contributions!), posting can get slow at times. So I decided to open the website to submitted reviews.
If you’re interested in contributing reviews, email editor@southerngospelblog.com, and I will create an account for you and email you a temporary password.
For guidance on how to write a review that will get published here, check out the new Submission Guidelines page.
Seeing these men at NQC last year was just a teaser, so when Paid In Full finally got within my territory, I was delighted to make the trip to see them! (As you’ll probably know, Paid In Full was the winner of the Horizon Group of the year from the Singing News Awards last year and they got to sing their hit song “What the Storm Does Not Know” on the main stage. )
It was rather a stormy afternoon and evening thanks to Hurricane Fay, but the Glenn Anthony Baptist Church was a dry and comfy setting for a concert on Saturday, Aug. 23. I was delighted that they performed so many of the songs from their new hymns album “Sounds of Faith.” I’ve really been enjoying the CD with its wonderful arrangements of some favorite hymns. One of the things I particularly like about their style is that after a singer is featured on the first verse of a song, then they add only one more voice on the second and then eventually add the third part. They sure do have a beautiful blend and a somewhat country sound due mostly to the instrumentation of their tracks.
Here’s what they sang:
I had the trusty digital camera busy getting some videos, too, so here’s what I’ve put together on youtube:
Paid In Full is going to be at Dollywood on Oct. 12 and 13 for the Gospel and Harvest Celebration so make your plans now to go and see them!
It’s usually fun to hear a group for the first time, especially if they are a group whose music you haven’t heard before. That was the case for me when I heard Soul’d Out Quartet on July 20th in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The group’s baritone and bass guitar player, Tanner Stahl, posts fairly often on the Singing News forums, so I thought I would just go over and see what the group sounded like! I got to the church during soundcheck and I enjoy seeing the guys before they get all dressed up for their performance. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Dusty Barrett from the old Crystal River is singing tenor with them now. At that point, Dusty and new pianist Michael Howard weren’t shown on their web site, but they are now.
The group performed a good mix of old standards and original music. I particularly liked the way they performed Boundless Love and their new songs, He Is My Lamb and I’ve Been Saved. Here is a link to a video of He Is My Lamb - my favorite of the evening. And here’s a video of several more of their songs from that evening. From reading the liner notes on the CD I bought (Ain’t Nobody), Matt Rankin (owner and lead singer) writes most of their new music.
As a pianist, I also enjoyed hearing 19-year old Michael Howard. I was very impressed with his abilities and I bought his solo CD. The liner notes revealed that he did all of the piano arrangements on the CD. There is a very wide variety of styles and instrumentation on the CD and I would encourage you to get it if you enjoy listening to piano music. Michael and Tanner also had a bit of fun playing a duet of Goodbye, World Goodbye.
This is a group I definitely want to see again.
On Sunday (August 10), I took the chance to see the Ball Brothers at Calvary Baptist Church in Ashland, Ohio. It was an annual event; though not all-day, it was otherwise my first time to be at an old-fashioned all-day-sing and dinner-on-the-ground.
The Ball Brothers are actual brothers; Andrew Ball sings tenor, Daniel Ball sings lead, Stephen Ball sings baritone, and Josh Ball, though not a bass in voice quality, sings what I call “choir bass” (think Bill Gaither, Claude Hopper). Their blend and harmonies are very tight, tight enough to make their sound unique among male quartets. In professional Southern Gospel circles, most family groups where all the members are related have at least one female vocalist; though Southern Gospel fans have become accustomed to tight family blends in mixed trios or quartets, this group is unique among male quartets.
They sang a mixture of new (orchestrated), acapella, and classic piano-and-bass-guitar convention songs. They did not have live accompaniment; however, they did have a sound man, Josh Gibson, Daniel Ball’s brother-in-law.
During intermission, a church quartet and mixed trio each sang several songs. The church quartet, led by the pastor singing lead, sang “Damascus Road,” “I Rest My Case at the Cross,” “Glory Road,” and “Even Thomas Couldn’t Doubt It.” The mixed trio sang “I’m Happy With You, Lord,” “God is a Good God,” and “In My Robe of White.” The last song, “In My Robe of White,” was written by Genice Spencer Ingold, who was a member of the trio.
I had the time to talk with members of the group for a little while about some of their upcoming plans. Be watching for big things from the group.
On August 2, I had the chance to catch a set by the Dan Keeton Quartet at an outdoor sing north of Mansfield, Ohio. It was a fairly short set; they only sang eight songs.
Perhaps partly because of the lineup change, the group stayed in mostly familiar territory musically, both as to who was featured (most of the songs featured Dan) and as to song selection (most of the songs were familiar classics, though the group did one original song and two relatively forgotten songs from the Hinsons and Downings repertoire.
“Saints Will Rise” was the high point of the set; the group ended with a sky-high three chords and a cloud of dust ending and got a response that would have made an encore fitting if they had had a track ready.
The group is in transition, so this brief set was probably not that great of a snapshot on which to rate them. But it did show their potential.
About 700 people gathered Saturday night to wish Jason Waldroup a very fond farewell from his position as Greater Vision tenor and to show him their support of the next part of his journey to further his education and serve as a minister of music. And the people came from all over the United States - 20 states, including states as far away as California, Texas and Arizona were represented as folks checked off their states as they entered the auditorium. It was an expression of their thanks to Jason for his touch on their lives in his thirteen years of service.
Stan Whitmire provided some wonderful piano accompaniment for the evening and even performed two solo numbers, Old Time Religion and Winter Wonderland. Stan has played for many, if not all, of their live performance DVD’s through the years and he knew he wanted to be part of the tribute to Jason.
The evening provided lots of singing but it also offered time for reflection on things from over the years that were very special to the men of Greater Vision. I think there was a good balance of both emotional and light-hearted moments. Early in the evening, Jason took the opportunity to speak to the group before he could finish singing “You Can,” a special song that Rodney had written with him in mind.
One of the highlights for me was a “Thanks for the Memories” video that had photographs and clips from events through the years Jason has been with the group. Perhaps Gerald Wolfe will figure out a way to put it on the GV website for us all to enjoy again and again. Meanwhile, here are the links of my video clips from the concert: (My very special thanks go to my friend Suzanne from Pigeon Forge who graciously swapped seats with me so I could have a better camera angle. )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV197xsrDs8 - Tribute to Jason
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9OdnhPoPw0 - Jacob Kitson sings Little Much
About two-thirds of the way through the evening, Jacob Kitson was brought on stage to be introduced and to sing. Jacob did a wonderful job on “Little Is Much” but even more special than his singing was Jason’s obvious approval of him as his successor.
Here’s a list of the songs that were sung:
He’s Still Waiting By The Well
Tell Me the Story Of Jesus
Paid In Full Through Jesus, Amen
We Are So Blessed
God Will Pass By
You Can
I’ve Never Been Sorry
My Name Is Lazarus
A Mighty Fortress
Faces
He’d Still Been God
Little Is Much
Unclouded Day
‘Til the Storm Passes By
Sheltered In The Arms of God and I Will Serve Thee (sung by the audience)
God Wants To Hear You Sing
I know that Jason will be very successful in his calling and I look forward to getting reports on his progress from time to time. And I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing more of the new version of Greater Vision.
Yesterday, my family and I went out to Harrod, OH to see the Blackwood Brothers in concert. The Blackwood Brothers Quartet is run by Jimmy Blackwood, son of James Blackwood. Jimmy himself sang lead for the Blackwood Brothers for some time in the ’70s before leaving the road; several years ago, he brought the name back.
The Blackwood Brothers Quartet is one of the few groups on the road today to do their entire program with two old-fashioned microphones. Much of their program is done with light soundtracks (piano and perhaps some bass guitar), but for some of the program their baritone/pianist, Brad White, moves over to the piano (where a third old-fashioned microphone is set up) and accompanies the group live.
First set:
During intermission, Brad White played a second piano solo, “Tis So Sweet.”
Second set:
Then, they did a request time, taking several audience requests:
Then, returning to the program, they finished with:
The requests time was certainly one of the evening’s highlights. Much of their program was the same as when I saw them two years ago (with This Old House being a delightful addition), but the requests are different every time. In fact, the requests are perhaps the biggest reason to go see the group multiple times–even if the rest of the program remains the same, you can always ask for a favorite during requests.
After entertaining the thought of asking for “Excuses,” primarily to see what they would say, I settled on “Victory Road.” They didn’t know it well enough to feel comfortable doing it, but they let me have a second pick, and I asked for “Suppertime.” I had heard good things about Randy Byrd’s rendition, and I was not disappointed. He is one of the hidden gems on the Southern Gospel scene, and has both the voice and the personality to become a fan favorite once more fans get to know him
It was an enjoyable evening, and worth the nearly two-hour trip.
Last night, I had the chance to catch the Mark Trammell Trio in Shelby, OH.
First set:
The group got three standing ovations during their first set. The first was for Mark Trammell’s rendition of “How Great Thou Art.” Then they got back-to-back standing ovations for “Glory Road” and “Once Upon a Cross.”
Mark Trammell introduced “Glory Road” by explaining how he loved coffee and his wife didn’t care for it but fixed it for him anyhow since she loved him. He said he’d been singing “Glory Road” ever since he started in Southern Gospel thirty-four years before, even singing it at his first talent contest, and he’d performed it with every group he had been with since. He said that he was sick of the song, but like his wife making him coffee, he loved the audiences enough to do the song for them anyhow. Tenor Eric Phillips tore the song up, as always.
He commented that, interestingly enough, this was their first concert at a Lutheran church.
During the intermission, Dustin Sweatman played two piano solos, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and a quartet-style mid-tempo piano solo. The song sounded familiar but I couldn’t place it.
Second set:
“I Know that I Know” will be on their next project. They had a great routine leading into it, with Mark Trammell asking lead singer Dustin Sweatman about the song’s title. Dustin said something, to which Mark replied, “I Know, but what’s the song title?” Dustin said, “I Know that I Know.” Mark said, “That’s all good and well, but what’s the song title.” Dustin replied again. Mark ended up saying he gave up, and “just tell me what key it’s in.” (They played it in F.)
Mark Trammell got a standing ovation for his performance of “I Believe in a Hill Called Mount Calvary.” The final song on their set, “Won’t it be Wonderful There” (this time, the newer Chris Allman-penned tune), also got a standing ovation (which was partly for the overall concert).
If you enjoy the country side of southern gospel, you should have been there.
If you appreciate skillful musicians and great singing, you should have been there.
If you have a love for the Spirit of God and love being where you can feel His presence, you should have been there.
The Freemans concert was all this and more. I attended with high expectations, and they were met and exceeded. The Freemans are incredible people. I dare anybody to meet them & try not to like them. They all have a great sense of humor and the camaraderie between them is beautiful.
I loved watching them interact during the concert. You can tell that they love music. To them it’s like each concert is a chance to try something new and play it even better than before. But more than that, you can tell that they love God with all their hearts, and it makes you want to know God like they do. When you watch Chris Freeman throw her hands in the air and sing, “Thank God! He chose me!” you really get it. Something within you rises up and says, “God chose me! Not just Chris Freeman, not just the really cool people of the world, but He chose me! Halleluyah!”
Darrell was incredible on “The Next Step.” The first person I ever heard sing this song was Ron Hutchins with The Inspirations, (maybe some of you have heard that version), and I didn’t think I would like the way anyone else sang it, but Darrell does a great job. He also sang “Once Was Enough.” I love that song!
The only bad thing about the evening was that Misty wasn’t able to be there. She stayed home because she wasn’t feeling well. If you’ve ever heard her sing, you know how much she was missed. I love hearing her sing. Especially “The Man Who Really Hung The Moon” and “Cinderella.” Misty rocks.
Before they sang, “He’d Have To Walk Through The Blood”, Chris talked for a few minutes about the song and what it really meant to have the protection of the blood of Jesus over us. I’ve heard that song countless times, but after listening to her, it hit me like I’d never heard it before. Talk about a powerful song, it was incredible. I’m sorry I didn’t get a video clip of that one, but I think you’d have to have been there to get the full impact.
Of course a Freemans concert would not be complete without “Children Of The Dust.” I have played this song to many people who don’t even like southern gospel & I always get the same response, “The harmony on that is beautiful!” Live is no exception. You almost feel like if you looked hard enough, you’d see Jesus coming. Then they sang “Rise Up”, which if I had to describe that song in one word, I’d say “Hope.” When they’re singing that, you feel hope well up inside you. That one’s a personal favorite of mine.
Oh yes, lest I forget … I’m sorry Diana, but with all respect to Greater Vision, no one can sing “Still Been God” like The Freemans. Caylon absolutely dominates the drums on this song.
One of my favorite parts was when someone requested “I Wouldn’t Take Nothin’ For My Journey Now.” I was surprised they actually sang it, but they did a great job. When you watch the video, notice the way Joe takes off on the keys as if it’s a song he plays every day. They’re all incredible at improvising. It’s fascinating to watch them. We arrived at the concert early, so we got to watch sound check. I have to say that I enjoyed that almost as much as the concert.
I could go through a list of songs and tell you how well they did, but I’m of the belief that a picture paints a thousand words, and a video is priceless. So watch the video and hopefully you will feel like you were there. And if you want to go see them yourselves, (I highly recommend it), go to www.the-freemans.com and click on “appearances.” You won’t be disappointed.
Jeff Steele of Ridgecrest Baptist in Springfield welcomed us. Ridgecrest bought Remingtons, which was Missouri’s largest nightclub at one time.
Gary Longstaff, general manager of KWFC Radio here in town, was MC of the concert. KWFC helped advertise the concert.
Clayton was the first artist to preform, and the one who got this entire concert together. He has a great talent in piano playing.. which is what he blessed us with! He did a great job and all songs he chose to play were easily recognized, I couldn’t help but hum along.Clayton plays in nearby Branson, at the Branson Landing.
• Keep On The Firing Line
• When The Saints Go Marching In/I’ll Fly Away
• Just A Closer Walk With Thee
• Amazing Grace
• How Great Thou Art
From Cassville, MO. This trio is consists of John and Wilma Hile, with their 19 year-old daughter Tiffany. I believe I’ve heard them several times before at other local venues, but I’m not sure.. They have a good sound and blend, and you can tell they enjoy singing. I like seeing a group perform that seems to enjoy what their doing. They sang several songs written by John.
On a side note, I might be wrong, but I think I now how the got their name of the Revelators… ever heard of John the Revelator? I found the idea quite interesting. Here’s the list of the songs they sang.
• One Way Ticket
• I Wanna Know How It Feels (Tiffany had the feature of this one and did a great job)
• On This Side Of The Blood
• Lord I’ve Never Been This Homesick Before
• Shepherd’s Eyes (This is one written by John, and I really liked this number)
• How Could I Say Goodbye
• The Lighthouse (They did a great rendition of this old classic… I can never get tired of hearing this song!)
After the Revelators, we were pleasantly surprised with a live video feed with Chris Barnes who is still in the hospital in Nashville. He was able to see the concert as well from his hospital bed. We then got to hear a letter written by Larry Ferguson thanking all for coming to the concert, and thanking everyone for their prayers as he recovers.
This is Lulu Roman’s manager. He has a wonderful voice. I could see him as a lead singer in a quartet, but then again, I think everyone sounds better in a quartet!
• I came to get my blessing
• This World Is Not My Home
• After Calvary
• One Day
I’ve never seen Lulu in person, but I was looking forward to it. I’m too young to have seen Hee Haw when it was originally broadcast, but have seen re-runs on public television. My first introduction of her gospel singing was on KingsGold 1.
S
he came out and gave us great dose of Gospel Music with comedy interwoven between songs. If there is one thing, she can capture your attention, either in song or joke. She definitely made the night. Her faces and stories were fantastic, but of course, the songs she sang were great as well. Lulu knows how to work the crowd, and I believe everyone was at home with her performance.
• Orphan Girl (this song really touches the heart)
• That’s The Man I’m Looking For
• Buildin’ Up The Wall (my favorite out the entire night – I could see a bass singer singing this song as a solo)
• Amazing Grace (in my mind, her signature song)
• Heaven’s Watching Me
• Hiding Place
• All My Life
• I Will Glory In The Cross
Afterwards Clayton came back on stage to share a word of thanks, take up the offering, and he talked to Chris some more.
All the artists then joined Clayton on stage to do some songs in memory of Dottie Rambo, and of course… they were songs she wrote.
• Sheltered In The Arms Of God (Featured Terry on vocals)
• Holy Spirit, Thou art welcome in this place (Featured Clayton on the piano with the band helping him out)
• We Shall Behold Him (featured Tiffany Hile on most vocals)
• I Go to The Rock (this was everyone, with Tiffany leading them)
I was disappointed on the turnout… our big February concert here in town attracts 1,000-2,000 people. Clayton told me that the attendance was 150, and the money raised was $1200. I praise God that there was a decent offering given by such a few number of people!
You can view all the concert photos here.
– 
– 
– 
