Adopted - Butler, Hughes & Hayes - CD Review

Butler, Hughes & Hayes is a quartet based on North Carolina. The group consists of Michael Hayes, Lamar Butler, Darren Hughes and Matt Parker. BHH has been primarily a regional artist, but looking to  branch out and increase their reach in Southern Gospel. I have to say with this album, their latest album Adopted definitely will help them take their place in industry.

The project was produced by Wesley Pritchard. One of the most impressive things about Adopted is that most of the songs were written by members of the group. Darren wrote four songs, and Michael wrote three of the songs.

The project starts with "The Beatitudes (You Are Blessed)" which is one of the standout songs. The group really shows off their harmonies with this one.

"He Came as a Child" is another highlight. This song is great for the Christmas season, but definitely is not labeled as "Christmas." The first verse focuses on the birth and the second verse on Christ's death. The song really seems to be more in their wheelhouse style wise.

The title track of the project is a sweet, heartfelt song. It was written by Darren about the adoption of his daughter. He and his wife adopted Sophia from Nanjing, China in 2011. The first verse talks about an orphan on the other side of the world and the second verse talks about how we are adopted children of God.

"Marriage Supper" is one of the uptempo songs. It's definitely one I found myself putting on repeat! Great fun song that I can see being great in a live concert setting! The country style "Jesus Is Better" is another mid tempo song that is a highlight and would be great live. It's repetitive chorus is one that I can see people singing along with live.

There are a couple of familiar songs like "He Washed My Eyes With Tears" and "Jesus Is Lord" that was an Andre Crouch song. The group definitely puts their own spin on the latter. They get some help from a background choir to really give it a stylistic contrast from most of the other songs.

One thing I also really liked was that in the CD jacket, all the songs have scripture references beside them. I think it shows that the group was very conscious about song choice when they do this!

If BHH was new to you like the group was to me, they are definitely worth giving a listen! I think this project shows that only good things are ahead!


Song List -
1. "The Beatitudes (You Are Blessed)
2. "Jesus Is Lord"
3. "He Came as a Child"
4. "The Dearest Friend I Ever Had"
5. "Adopted"
6. "Marriage Supper"
7. "Jesus Will Outshine Them All"
8. "Carry the Glorious Gospel"
9. "Jesus Is Better"
10. "I Love You"
11. "He Washed My Eyes With Tears"
12. "Around the Cross"