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
Well, with the popularity of my Gold City post today, I decided to turn it into an official poll. Here are two polls for you guys to cast your votes in. Go for it: Read more
With the recent flurry of lead singers and tenors Gold City has had, it prompted me to think about all the various talented singers who have filled those two spots over the years. One thing’s for sure, there haven’t been any slouches among them. For me, it’s definitely harder to pick favorites than for some other groups. Among the lead singers, I’m very partial to Jonathan Wilburn, but more recently I was captivated by Craig West along with many others,... Read more
A while back, I read a comment Michael Booth left on a thread about live bands versus tracks that got me thinking about the whole debate over which is preferable. I can’t recall exactly what he said at the moment, but basically he was pointing out the fact that a live band isn’t really necessary to put on a good show. I kind of agree. Yes, a live band brings an extra quality that can’t be matched by tracks, but... Read more
The Booth Brothers’ “He Saw It All” was probably embraced largely by virtue of its uniqueness. Everyone knows the picture the lyrics paint—a mute man talking, a deaf girl listening, a crippled man running, and a blind man who saw it all. It’s clever and fresh-sounding. What some people might not know (and what I didn’t know until very recently), is that this concept isn’t new at all. In fact, it’s very old. If you don’t believe me, here is... Read more
I’m finally getting around to reviewing that Booth Brothers concert from a few weeks back. They came to the Gospel Barn in Hillsdale, MI, where they have a long history. In fact, I believe the host said that the Barn may have hosted the Rebels Quartet before the Booths. They come there every year around the same time, and then they always go to Auburn Hills for church and another concert the Sunday after. Those two dates are the only... Read more
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