Worth It - Brian Free and Assurance Concert Review

Brian Free and Assurance (Brian Free, Bill Shivers,
Derrick Selph, Jeremy Lile) during their opening song,
"Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee"

Last Thursday night, friends and I made the drive to Hot Springs, Ark. in rainy, nasty weather. The rain did not deter the mood or the crowd at the Brian Free and Assurance concert that night, though. As little as I liked having to drive the curvy roads to Hot Springs in the rain, it was definitely worth it after we got to the concert.

The song list for the night was:

• "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" 
• "Go Tell the World" 
• "Anything Is Possible" 
• "I Believe" 
• "Glory Road" 
• "Just a Little Talk With Jesus" 
• "Part Where You Come In" 
• "Never Walk Alone" 
• "I Keep Looking Up" 
• "O What a Savior" 
• "Jesus Will Pick You Up" 
• "First Day in Heaven" 
• "You Must Have Met Him" 
• "For God So Loved" 
• "What Will You Choose" 
• "Long As I Got King Jesus" 

Standout moments of the night:

The night started with “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee” a capella. It was an interesting but great choice to start the night. I was very impressed with the blend vocally they had and staying so well together a capella.

“I Believe” is definitely one of my favorite Brian Free and Assurance songs. I’m always amazed at Brian’s high voice, but it really struck me on this song also how well Jeremy was on the low end as well.

I didn’t ever remember seeing them stage “Glory Road” before. But it was interesting since I saw the Mark Trammell Quartet do this same song just last week. Eric Phillips owned the song the week before, but I think it’s a fair statement to say that most will say Brian Free is at the top of the list when it comes to Southern Gospel tenors. He proved it with a standing ovation from the crowd. He, like Eric the week before, nailed the high part at the end. I’m not sure I could pick a favorite version.

Brian told about how several of the guys had lost parents in the past couple of years to set up “Never Walk Alone.” I had heard him tell before about all the family member deaths that they experienced in a short period of time. However, this time the testimony along with the truths that Brian spoke of how God’s love is greater than any other love in our lives was a touching moment right before the song. This song is just a beautiful reminder of how God is always with us.

I’ve never seen or heard them sing “For God So Loved” better than they did on Thursday night. It was a moving performance and people were on their feet midway through the song with most everyone in the church standing clapping at the end.

As an invitation, the group sang “What Will You Choose,” which I thought was a great song choice. However to end the concert, they sang “Long as I Got King Jesus,” which is always a fun, lively song choice! I love how they had the serious moment with an invitation for those to make decisions at the end, but  still ended the night with a fun, up-tempo song. Just a personal preference!

Other notes:

Bill Shivers impressed me so much throughout the concert. He is definitely one of the most underrated lead singers in the business, in my opinion.

The group told in a recent interview that Brian Free is one of the hardest song pitches. Brian mentioned that he always makes to choose songs that match the Word of God. He said toward the end of the concert, “If you’ve missed the words, you’ve missed the whole point. We came to point you to the cross.” I feel like overall the group has extremely strong songs that proudly proclaim the message of the gospel. Overall, it was a great night, worth the rainy drive along less than ideal roads for the concert!

I had never seen Brian Free and Assurance in concert by themselves, just at a large event with other artists, so it was nice to see them in this environment. I love getting to hear more of the testimony and words between the songs of the artist that you often don't get to hear when they are with other groups. I think it really shows a lot of the group's character.

I'm glad we didn't let the weather keep us from making the drive to see them! It was definitely "worth it!"

Fun Clip Friday - Karen Peck and New River

I saw Brian Free and Assurance in concert last night in Hot Springs! The downpour that we drove in most of the way to get there was well worth it! They sang most of the songs that I was hoping they would. The only exception was "Looking for a City." I was really hoping to hear it, since this clip had started circulating online again. I shared it with my friends a couple of weeks ago, so I was hoping they would get to hear Brian Free's version live. Look for a full concert recap early next week!

Are you ready for another Fun Clip Friday? Karen Peck and New River is one of my favorite groups. A highlight of their concerts is always hearing Karen tell funny stories on the road. If you haven't watched this interview with her talking about Susan's boots, you should. It will be sure to make you laugh!

Hope everyone has a great Friday!! Anyone going to any southern gospel concerts this weekend or coming up that they are looking forward to? Would love to hear about them!

What About Now - When Lyrics Speak

Sometimes lyrics speak in hard times when you need encouragement or a reminder that God’s still there. Other times lyrics speak words of conviction. One of the most convicting songs I’ve heard recently is “What About Now” by the Booth Brothers.

I applaud the Booth Brothers for recording this type of song. We need songs that challenge believers as much as encourage them. Michael Booth had the idea for this song, and then went to Jim Brady who was able to craft it into such a great, lyrically-strong song!

The song asks, "What about now?" So many times we concentrate on the peace and the assurance that comes from knowing Christ because of a prayer we prayed. This is a key factor in our faith, but it’s not all there is to it. If all we have to show for our faith is the day that we accepted Christ, it’s not going to prove much. It’s how we are living out our faith. What about now? Is there evidence seen by those you’re around? This song is extremely thought-provoking for Christians and really makes you think about what your relationship with Christ is based on.

While I know that I’m a Christian, and those around me may know that I go to church, do they see my relationship with Christ from my daily actions? Do I love those around me like I should? Do I immediately point to the moment I was saved when people ask me about my relationship with Christ or can they see that in my life?

The part that’s the most convicting to me says: “Do you love God and others? Are you drawn to His Word? Do you feel convicted of sin? Are you sharing the Good News? Forsaking what’s wrong? Have you stood faithful and strong?”

These words stopped me in my tracks. Am I drawn to His Word? Do I miss it if I don’t spend time in His Word? Do I really desire that time alone with God like I should? How long has it been since I’ve shared the gospel with others? Do I show Christ’s love to others?

At the beginning of the year, one of my resolutions was to make sure I spent time with God daily in His Word. There are times in my life when I've been very consistent in this, but at times when I've found it so easy to skip a day or two. So far, it's a resolution I’ve kept it, but it’s only March. I can definitely tell a difference when I rush through just to say I’ve done it and other days when I spend longer, more quality time reading and studying.

I encounter people every day who need Christ. What am I doing to actively share Christ with them? Do I love people like I should? I'm still praying through ways to open those doors of communication more to share the gospel with them.

This song definitely made me think about how my actions daily reflect my faith and my relationship with Christ. It made me examine some areas of my life and make changes so that my life better reflected Christ. That relationship started with a prayer, but that’s not what it’s about. It’s about now.

Keeping the Focus - Mark Trammell Quartet Concert Review

The Mark Trammell Quartet was in concert on Thursday in DeWitt, Ark. I have been anxious to hear the group in concert since Eric Phillips rejoined the group.  I had watched some of the clips on YouTube of their current lineup consisting of Mark Trammell, Eric Phillips, Dustin Sweatman and Pat Barker, and was very impressed. After seeing them in person last week, I think that the best is yet to come from the Mark Trammell Quartet.

The night started with “Gentle Shepherd.” Is it a new trend for groups starting with the slower songs? Seems to be recently in ones I have seen anyway. Again, it worked really well for the group. They started the concert with Mark playing the bass, and Dustin on the keyboard.

They reached a tender point in the song with just their voices and no instruments, and of course a cell phone rang. While I would have been tempted to laugh or make light of the moment, none of the guys did. A few corners of their mouths turned up, grinning about what happened, but they didn’t lose the moment of the song. It showed true professionalism, and that they didn’t want to lose the focus of the song.

They picked up the pace with the song, “Hallelujah, I’m Going Home.” Mark introduced the guys next. He talked about how Eric had been with the group before when they were a trio. He poked fun of the fact that he had been a police officer with his high voice.

Pat Barker was featured on “How Big Is God” next. This has become his signature song. He really shows the power and richness of his bass voice with this song. It was definitely one of my favorites of the night!

They sang “Echoes from the Burning Bush” next. Eric hit a nice high part, and Mark told him it was cute and said he should do it again. He did it again. The audience clapped, and Mark looked at Eric and told him they really liked that so he should do it again. And he did.

Mark set up the next song as being one of the most requested when Eric was with the group previously. He told the audience he was tired of the song, and if they never did it again, it would be too soon. But since people kept requesting it, they sang “Glory Road” next. Eric nailed the high part at the end. He proved that he lost nothing in this time away from singing full time and that he is sounding better than ever.

They then sang “Wedding Music,” and Dustin and Mark put their instruments up midway through the song. Next, Dustin took the lead with “Testimony.” This is such a great up-tempo song, and he does a great job singing it. The song definitely shows off what a great lead singer he is. This song started a run of several songs from their Testimony project.

“God Knows How Much Mercy I Need” was next which features Mark. Baritone singers in Southern Gospel don’t get better that Mark Trammell. I love the truths and message of this song.

The pace picked up again with “One Drop,” which was written by Dustin. He and Pat were featured on the verses.

The group brought new life to an old hymn with “How Long Has It Been.” Mark spoke after about what a sobering thought it was to really think about the words of the song what it meant. The last song before the break was “It’s Almost Over.”

After the offering, they talked about their product at the cruises they have coming up. This is when you really got to see the fun personalities of the group. Mark is not only one of the best singers in the industry, but also emcees. Mark talked about the Singing at Sea cruise and even though they just returned from this year’s, they were already taking reservations for Feb. 2013. He said if you love to eat and love the Lord then it’s the cruise for you. “You’ll grow in lard and in the Lord,” he said.

Mark mentioned that he had been doing “this” for 38 years. They all had been making jokes about his age and how long he had been singing. Pat joked he had been doing "this" for 38 years too. Mark asked what he had been doing for 38 years. Pat’s response was breathing. :)

On that note, they started back singing with “Blood Washed Band.” Then, they sang “That Day at Calvary.”

Mark said that the next song featured Pat. Pat piped up and said that he really liked this one. Mark looked at him and said that he didn’t even know what song it was. Pat replied it didn’t matter because if it featured him he liked it! “I Want to Know” started up.  This is another one of my favorites. All four put their all into it and tore the song up! Once they were done, Pat said, “Well, that’s enough.”

Pat then gave a short testimony about how we are all in need of God’s grace and mercy. He reminded the congregation that we don’t have to stray far from God or go off the deep end to be in need of God’s mercy. The “good ole boys” need God’s grace just as much.

They ended the night with their Calvary medley. This is a great arrangement of songs all about the cross. Even through the laughs and the jokes, which were plenty, you can tell this is the focus of their ministry. They all like to have a good time, but they make sure that it’s all about the cross and sharing the gospel.

If you get the chance to see the Mark Trammell Quartet in concert, you should definitely go! It was a night of great singing, laughs and most importantly the gospel. I only wish it had been a little longer! 

Fun Clip Friday - Triumphant Quartet

I went to see the Mark Trammell Quartet in concert last night. It was such a great night. The group is a class act all the way around. If you read my previous post about them sounding the best they ever have, it's certainly the case!! Look for a full concert recap soon!

But for now, here's a fun clip of Triumphant Quartet for you on a Friday morning. Watch what happens here when Clayton Inman and Eric Bennett switch parts on "Just a Little Talk With Jesus!"