Faith in a Great God - Carolina Boys Quartet - CD Review

The Carolina Boys Quartet released Faith in a Great God in September. I'll confess this was not a quartet I was familiar with. The group is based in South Carolina. Patrick Campbell (tenor), Chuck Lowe (lead), Toby Fricks (baritone) and Stephen Jewell (bass) make up the quartet.

The project starts with "For Every Goliath," which is a fun uptempo song. I love the brass on this song. Great way to start the album! "God Made a Way" continues with that uptempo vein.

Then they slow things down with "By a Show of Hands." Tenor Patrick Campbell is featured on this song. This is a great song written by Kristi Fritzwater, Belinda Smith and Lee Black. This songwriting combination is a great team for the Carolina Boys with three cuts on the project.

The quartet goes with a traditional arrangement for "Treasures in Heaven." I've always been a fan of this song and really enjoyed their take on it. This song and "Walk With Me" are the two songs that gospel music fans will definitely be familiar with.

"He Still Moves Mountains for Me" features Toby Fricks. This is a great ballad and a great reminder of the power of God working in our lives today. Another stand out ballad is "The Blood of Jesus" written by Phil Cross. This one features Chuck Lowe.

"I Didn't See Him Rise" is another highlight of the project. This is a great song with beautiful orchestration behind it. "God Shed His Grace on Me" is another great power ballad with a great build up and orchestration. The message and reminders of how amazing God's grace is never get old.

Bass singer Stephen Jewell steps up on the title track. This is another great brass-infused uptempo song. This song is definitely a highlight of the project!

If you're like me and are not familiar with the Carolina Boys Quartet, don't miss out on Faith in a Great God. I can't wait to hear future projects from this group!


Song List -
1. "For Every Goliath"
2. "God Made a Way"
3. "By a Show of Hands"
4. "Treasures in Heaven"
5. "He Still Moves Mountains for Me"
6. "Faith in a Great God"
7. "Blood of Jesus"
8. "I Cried Out"
9. "I Didn't See Him Rise"
10. "When They Had Prayed"
11. "God Shed His Grace on Me"
12. "Walk With Me"

In Case You Missed It - News and Tidbits - October 8

Unfortunately there's a lot of sad news this week. Here's a recap of news from this week -

• Carolyn Reese, wife of Ray Dean Reese of the Kingsmen, suddenly passed away this week. Her funeral will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 11 in Asheville, North Carolina. Please keep all of the Reese family in your prayers.
• Jeff Bumgardner's daughter, Ella, had a ruptured brain aneurysm and passed away this week. She was only 10 year old. Jeff is a well-known songwriter in the gospel music community. Please pray for Jeff, his wife and children in the days ahead.
• Tanya Goodman Sykes shared via Facebook this week that doctors founds some malignancy with an ovarian cyst. Please keep her and the physicians in your prayers as they walk through the next steps of treatment and procedures. She will have surgery on Monday.
• Daywind Instrumental announced the addition of Jeff Stice to its roster of musicians. His first release is scheduled for early 2017.

Please keep all of these families who are hurting and dealing with sickness and loss in your prayers!

Fun Clip Friday - Bowling Family Sisters - At the Cross

Sorry, I've been a bit inconsistent lately. However, I am bringing you a Fun Clip Friday post today. If you missed the National Quartet Convention Saturday night, you missed one of the highlights of the week.

The Bowling Family girls took the stage to sing a familiar hymn, "At the Cross." They sang the hymn arrangement again at Dollywood this week. You can check out the video below! These girls sound incredible together and have a bright future ahead!

Enjoy for today's Fun Clip Friday!

2016 National Quartet Convention - Saturday Night Recap

The 2016 National Quartet Convention is now complete. It was a great year. I am looking forward to seeing some of the performances again on demand and also catching what I missed Friday night. Here are my thoughts and highlights from the last night of NQC -

Commentary/ Highlights -

• It was great to see so many of the younger generation in Southern Gospel highlighted tonight. I loved what the Erwins did by having so many of them join them on stage for "I Choose to Be a Christian." It was definitely a highlight of the night. The Bowling sisters singing "At the Cross" was another incredible moment. That sister harmony cannot be beat!
• The hour of Tribute and Triumphant Quartets were the best of the night. These two groups had the longer sets of the night. Tribute again sang a lot from their new project again. I loved hearing all the new songs; their new project is a must buy! They ended their set with Triumphant joining them on "I Remember the Day." Triumphant then did a lot of favorites and requests. They closed with "He Is," great moment!
• Gerald Wolfe had some chest congestion so he asked Mark Trammell to join Greater Vision on stage to help him sing. During their set, he said he felt like he could sing bass like J.D. So they did the Cathedrals arrangement of "Wonderful Grace of Jesus" with him singing bass. 
• I have to say I was expecting more during the finale. I was a little disappointed that several groups didn't come back to the stage and sing some of their hits. 
• Voices of Lee, though not officially on the program this year, made an appearance during Gordon Mote and Mark Trammell Quartet's sets. They also sang a great arrangement of "Good, Good Father." 

Favorite Songs/ Performances of the Night -

• "I Choose to Be a Christian" - The Erwins
• "At the Cross" - Bowling Family (sisters)
• "Only Jesus Can Heal This Hurting World" - Gordon Mote
• "Holy Shore" - Perrys
• "My Faith Still Holds" - Mark Trammell Quartet (with Voices of Lee)
• "When the Prodigal Comes Home" - Tribute Quartet
• "He Is" - Triumphant Quartet
• "His Life for Mine" - The Talleys
• "Wonderful Grace of Jesus" - Greater Vision with Mark Trammell

In Case You Missed It - News and Tidbits - October 1

Here are some news and tidbits from this week in Southern Gospel music -

• The National Quartet Convention had a press conference on Monday to say that NQC would be held in Pigeon Forge for the next five years.    
• Here is the full list of Singing News Fan Award winners. The ceremony was held on Wednesday afternoon at NQC.
• Mark Lowry was named the 2016 recipient of the prestigious Golden Note Award at the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Christian Music Awards on Monday night in Nashville. The Golden Note Award is presented to songwriters, composers, and artists who have achieved extraordinary career milestones.
• Zach Cleghorn is the new lead vocalist for the Anchormen Quartet. He grew up in Arley, Alabama and most recently served as worship pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Athens, Alabama.

Anything I've missed?