Hello all. By now if you’re a fan of southern gospel you know that Eric Phillips has rejoined the Mark Trammell Quartet. This is nothing short of momentous for SG fans everywhere. I thought pigs would fly before Eric came back, but lo! A levitating porcine creature appears even now outside the window. I am actually not thoroughly familiar with Eric’s voice, but the little I have heard impressed me. His voice is a little warmer and more natural than... Read more
I like Mark Bishop. He may not be a particularly impressive singer or musician, but there’s just something about his music, a quiet sweetness that refreshes me. He’s not even remotely affected or pretentious. His voice is gentle. His songs are simple. My favorite song of his is “Let The Angels Take the Fallen,” but I wasn’t familiar with his other work except for a few cuts from Fields of Love (which I really need to go back and listen... Read more
Well. My weekend just got way cooler. On Saturday I saw Keith and Kristyn Getty in concert with a live band and mass choir. Suffice it to say, you would have had to be blind and deaf not to enjoy yourself thoroughly. The quality of music was absolutely top-notch. And among the band musicians, who should I see but Jeff Taylor! But wait, it gets better. Afterwards, he and two of the other (fantabulphenomelomenal) musicians came out and did a... Read more
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Here’s Jason Crabb and Gordon Mote. These two guys seem to go together like turkey and stuffing: I’m taking the rest of the week off to enjoy the holiday. Meanwhile, please leave your suggestions for a Thanksgiving mix on my ipod. We have no shortage of songs for Christmas, but let’s see how many thankfulness songs you can come up with. Note: They need not necessarily all be from southern gospel. And tell us what... Read more
The other day I was browsing some Twila Paris music, and noticed an unfamiliar album cover over in Michael W. Smith’s “related artists” spot. (Yes, I’m one of those geeky people who absorbs useless information like album covers as though I were a sponge.) Turns out that the sequel to his acclaimed instrumental project Freedom is releasing TODAY. It’s called Glory. I would have known that it was awesomely awesome without hearing samples, but the samples confirmed what I already... Read more
Channing Eleton is one of the premiere pianists in southern gospel, but I was first introduced to him through his music video of “Up On This Ridge.” It was smartly produced and gave me an excellent taste of the folk/country fusion Channing has created with his vocal work. I also caught an outstanding piano solo from him during NQC this year and noted the fact that he played with no backing track. He allowed the piano to speak for itself,... Read more
I’m not sure how familiar my readers are with classic Disney movies, but this is just too cute not to post. It seemed that as long as Walt himself was around, Disney pictures maintained the “golden touch,” and one gem from this era was the film Lady And the Tramp, released in 1956. The studio brought popular singer Peggy Lee on board to write songs and help set the musical tone for the picture. She worked with Sonny Burke to... Read more
Well, the results in my Gold City tenors and leads polls have been very interesting. (And by the way, if you haven’t voted yet, it’s never too late! I’d like to get 100 in each, if possible.) Anyway, so far there are nearly 80 per, and like I said, the results are fascinating. In the tenors poll, Jay Parrack has carried nearly half of the votes. And Brian Free is a very distant second—interestingly, separated by only a few votes... Read more
It snowed yesterday. In fact, the weather was a bizarre alternating mix of snowy/cloudy and non-snowy/sunny. Fortunately I didn’t have to be out in it—much. Regrettably not all my classes are in the same building on campus. Anyway, I’ve heard that other yankees happened to get their first snow yesterday too, including our friends the Garms Family. I also hear it should be beautiful in Vermont this time of year. Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=7AToEzwZSfk I’d vote for them in a mixed group... Read more
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It's Just My (Second) Opinion: NQC 2011 CD/DVD Song Selection
If you’re not already reading Fuson’s Findings, let me encourage you to check it out. It’s a regular new blog by a new blogger who loves the music and has good insights. He recently started a column called “It’s Just My Opinion,” in which he shares candid IMHOs about southern gospel-related things he’d rather were done differently. I decided to give him a little support for his most recent one, which is an honest (though very courteous) complaint about the... Read more