Category: Reviews

Living on the Lord's Side – Lee Williams and the Spiritual QC's

Lee Williams and the Spiritual QC’s 
Living on the Lord’s Side
MCG Records (2011)

By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever

Lee Williams and the Spiritual QC’s are one of the most beloved quartets on the circuit today, and their fans were eagerly awaiting–and I do mean eagerly–more great music like the relatable songs (such as “I’ve Learned to Lean” and “I Can’t Give Up Now”) that caused the group to skyrocket to the height of quartet acclaim.  It’s no surprise that some wonder why their current project Living On the Lord’s Side is filled with recycled material; nine of the twelve tracks were released on the group’s prior albums.

MCG Records says the reason Lee Williams and the Spiritual QC’s re-recorded these songs is “the vast number of written and verbal testimonies that they’ve received and the impact that these have had on so many lives.”  I suppose that’s justifiable, but it would have been great for these tracks to have had some kind of refreshing quality about them–a musical twist, an added bridge, or some reconstructed runs.  “Good Time” is the one rollicking pewburner that delivers on musical newness.  It boasts a thumping bassline, stabbing horns, and an extended vamp that graduates from “good time” to “thank You.”

The mid-tempo title song “Living on the Lord’s Side,” one of the three new tunes, is not quite as engaging.  In fact, it could even be considered a bit bland.  Given the soulful and often bluesy character of the group’s music, it lacks the fervor that one is used to hearing in Williams’ repertoire.  “Touch Me” is the toe-tapper that follows, but the previously released versions remain superior.  Williams has recorded it at least twice before (with his group and with the Racy Brothers), and on this one his voice just isn’t at its best.  What’s more is that he omits the second verse, thereby creating an awkward turn the QC’s didn’t sound altogether ready for.  Additionally, once he’s in the run, he tells a Biblical story (about the woman with the issue of blood) twice verbatim, seeming to have lost his place in the song.  A studio overdub could’ve remedied this.  Nevertheless, by the song’s end, the flat-footed singer’s heartfelt insistence compels listeners to respond to his repeated inquiry, “Did He touch you?!”

“Call Him” is another new track and it features a guest lead by Willie Legon.  Legon’s pleasing tremulous tenor guides the song along its turtle-paced ascent until he tags Williams to drive it to its climax.  “Call Him” mimics the tempo of “I Can’t Give Up Now” and the intensity of “You’ve Been Good” (from the album Good Time); the only real critique here is that at times Legon’s words are not so easy to understand.  An overdub could’ve fixed this, too.

Production issues were the snare (literally and figuratively) for the remake of the mega hit “I’ve Learned to Lean.”  The stomper sounds great until the verse, when the snare’s tone suddenly brightens but then becomes muted again in the chorus. This brightness/mutedness alternates throughout the song, making it completely annoying to listen to once the ears lock in.  The fact that “I Can’t Give Up Now” brings up the rear and features Williams’ emotional testimony makes this otherwise lackluster project redeemable.

Gospel’s iceman Williams and the Spiritual QC’s have secured a place as one of the leading quartets in the nation. The production issues combined with the lack of freshness in the remakes is hard to overlook.  I really wish more time had been spent on post-production to give listeners the caliber of project traditional quartet lovers know the group is capable of.  Living on the Lord’s Side leaves those of us who enjoy the ministry of Lee Williams and the Spiritual QC’s a lot to anticipate for the group’s next project. 

Favorites
“Good Time” – “I Can’t Give Up Now”

Fever Meter
WARM (2 1/2 of 5 Stars)

Victory – Douglas Miller

Douglas Miller
Victory
Universal Music (1993) 

By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever

A few weeks back, Douglas Miller shared a copy of his CD, Victory, with me.  Although it was one of his releases from the early 90’s, his music reminds one why some gospel songs are hopelessly dated while others are auspiciously timeless.

As one of the most recognizable voices in gospel, Miller’s uptempo choir numbers like “Soldier,” “Victory” (the title track), and the churchy-fied “Trouble Won’t Last Always” carry both a sound and message for Sunday morning 2012 (especially if the church minister of music wants to give the choir baritone a solid lead vocal).  With Miller’s rich tone resonating clearly and beautifully throughout, the slow selections work, too.

While none of the 10 tracks stands up to the classic “My Soul Has Been Anchored,” the flavor of Victory whets one’s appetite for something new by one of the industry’s most unique voices.

Favorite
“Trouble Won’t Last Always”

Fever Meter
SIMMERIN’ (3 of 5 Stars)

"I Trust in God" – John Thorpe and Family

“I Trust in God”
John Thorpe and Family
From the CD, Child Of God (2012)
Available at CD Baby

John Thorpe and Family "Live" with Dr. Bobby Jones art work

Kudos to the groups and choirs of today that reserve spots for a traditional, minimally altered hymn or two in their otherwise trendy, radio-friendly repertoires.

McCollins Thorpe, Sr. solidifies this space for John Thorpe and Family with “I Trust in God,” an arrangement of the W.C. Martin hymn, “My Father Watches Over Me.”  It’s Thorpe, Sr., the eldest brother of the 14 siblings, whose vibratic tenor hinges on the upswings and downward slopes of every note to create a moderately slow but soulful number that baptist pastor Martin himself, were he to overhear from Glory, would give a nod to.

While John Thorpe and Family are a choir that occasionally consists of all 14 brothers and sisters plus a niece and nephew, their material is crafted with a traditional quartet-like vibe—a subgenre in which the Thorpe brothers, who are the primary lead singers, are firmly planted.  This is why Thorpe, Sr. is able to guide them from the flowing expressive verses right into a toe-tapping chorus and vamp with ease, adding just the right amount of spice to the sweetness of the early 20th-century composition.

"Don't Forget About Me" – Cat Cole

“Don’t Forget About Me”
Cat Cole
From the digital mixtape, Strait from Da Soul of Cat Cole (2012)
Available at Soundcloud

“Can I do an old Tommy Ellison song?” Cat Cole asks at the start of “Don’t Forget About Me.”  Cole has a way of merging sounds of yesteryear with a style that appeals to gospel quartet lovers, R&B heads, and young folk alike.

Right after his question, the song he’s asking about struts off in shuffle rhythm while Cole pours out his lines with the intensity of a 1970’s soul singer.  About halfway in, the rhythm falls into a good ol’ straight quartet pocket as he turns the corner on the run and petitions, “Come on, Jesus.”  The background vocalists sing the same, falling slightly behind the beat.  It’s a groove you have to hear for yourself.  And you can–absolutely free.

Cole, whose real name is Castro Coleman, made this and several other tracks available online for free, last month.  He says Strait From Da Soul of Cat Cole is the first of several mixtapes that will drop every 90 days while he works on his upcoming album, The Favor Factor, which is scheduled for release later this year on the 4Winds/Malaco label.  Cole is the lead singer of Castro Coleman and Highly Favored and the music director for the Williams Brothers.

"Lord, You're the Landlord" – Mississippi Mass Choir

“Lord, You’re the Landlord”
Mississippi Mass Choir
From the CD, Then Sings My Soul (2011)
www.mississippimass.com

It takes an aggregation like Malaco’s tenured Mississippi Mass Choir to pull off lines like, “Lord, You’re the landlord, and there’s a leak in Your building. Fix it, fix it like You said You would.”  Voiced by some other choirs, such words might come off as demanding; to the new school, maybe even a little corny.  Not so with Miss Mass.

Original member and principal vocalist Lillian Lilly capably leads this Frederick Knight composition (previously recorded by labelmate Eddie Ruth Bradford) with the faith-filled fervor that the informal and simplistic lyrics call for, while the multi-award winning choir concurs: “I can’t fix it….You’re my landlord….Fix it like You said You would.”

The metaphor may not necessarily strike a chord with younger listeners, but “Lord, You’re the Landlord” is definitely your grandmother’s kind of hand-clapper.

"All Go Back" – Tammy Edwards and the Edwards Sisters

“All Go Back”
Tammy Edwards and the Edwards Sisters
From the CD, On the Right Road Now (2012)
www.malaco.com

Tammy Edwards and the Edwards Sisters

Traditional quartet at its core is what Tammy Edwards and the Edwards Sisters bring to “All Go Back,” from their current CD, On the Right Road Now.

The number is a spin on the traditional “Old Landmark” that turns a sharp corner in the vamp with Edwards and the sisters rockin’ out on the line, “Take it back!”

“You can do it….It’s yours for the asking!” Edwards declares.

The Greenville, NC group blazes this track from start to finish with a drive that won’t quit, even after the music stops near the four-minute mark.

Tammy Edwards and the Edwards Sisters have carried their message up and down the east coast and different parts of the country for more than 30 years.

A Celebration Fit for a Queen!

Bishop Harold I. Williams presents his wife, Pastor Shirley Caesar, 
as the newly crowned “Queen of Gospel.”
 

By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever

“Mahalia Jackson is gone, but we have Shirley Caesar!” shouted longtime Caesar Singer, Bernard Sterling to a capacity crowd at Mount Calvary Word of Faith Church.  “We’re gonna love her while she’s here!”

A jubilant ovation erupts.  It was one of many during the five hour salute.

Every pew was packed and folding chairs were filled inside the 1500 seat sanctuary Sunday night as its pastor, Shirley Caesar, was crowned “Queen of Gospel.” 

The symbolic crown–previously worn by greats Mahalia Jackson and Albertina Walker–was passed to Walker’s protégé Caesar, whose accolades include 11 Grammy, 13 Stellar, and 18 Dove Awards; McDonald’s Golden Circle and SESAC Lifetime Achievement Awards; and induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Throughout the celebratory musical, no less than 14 performers paid tribute with several of Her Majesty’s hits like “Jesus, I Love Calling Your Name,” “Heaven,” and the perennial favorite, “No Charge.”  Pastor Caesar smiled, clapped, swayed, and occasionally stood in awe.

Even the youngest generation of gospel singers was well represented in the persons of twelve year-old Michael Boone, nine year-old Rev. Leniyus Sullivan, and eight year-old Symone “Baby Shirley” Spencer.

Also in the house as a surprise guest was Douglas Miller, whose classic “My Soul Has Been Anchored” ripened the atmosphere for a praise break.

In the styling of the British monarchy, Sunday’s coronation followed similar protocols such as Pastor Caesar being anointed with oil (left) by Bishop Harold I. Williams, Patriarch of the Mount Calvary Holy Church of America, Inc.  Dressed in an exquisite floor-length gown with dainty gold accents, the ageless beauty then rose to receive the charge from Evangelist Carolyn Sanders.  Following the charge and presentation of the Holy Bible, master of ceremony Jerry Smith of Radio One crowned Pastor Caesar, as the title “Queen of Gospel” was bestowed.  To a thunderous standing ovation, she was given a bouquet of flowers and presented with more gifts, including a trophy.

As the long evening drew to a close, Queen Shirley took to the lectern, graced the congregation with “Strong Man”–sprinkling a sermonette over its chorus–and expressed heartfelt gratitude along with a sobering exhortation.

“I charge you tonight,” she urged, “as many as who stand on my shoulders…walk holy…live holy….Live what you sing.  Live what you preach and teach.”

_________________________________
 
From left to right: twelve year-old Michael Boone sings “No Charge,” eight year-old Symone Spencer performs “Jesus, I Love Calling Your Name,” and nine year-old Rev. Leniyus Sullivan delivers the Caravans’ “Lord Keep Me Day By Day.”
 
Grammy-winning producer Sanchez Harley recalls how Pastor Caesar orchestrated an opportunity for him to produce on her 1983 gospel album Sailin’, which garnered a Grammy.  After citing Caesar as his favorite singer, he adds, “That [crown] is not an imaginary token crown. She is the Queen–the real deal.”
 
 

Jerry Smith, of Radio One’s The Light 103.9FM, prepares to crown Pastor Caesar as Bishop Williams and Bernard Sterling look on.

 
 
The newly crowned “Queen of Gospel” receives more gifts including a framed commemorative announcement of the ceremony and a trophy presented by Dr. Mildred Summerville (second from left), on behalf of The Diamond Club.
 
 
 
 
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The Best of Elder Goldwire McLendon – Elder Goldwire McLendon

Elder Goldwire McLendon
The Best of Elder Goldwire McLendon
Music World Gospel (2012)
www.musicworldent.com/artists/eldergoldwire

By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever

Many viewers of BET’s Sunday Best 3 were captivated by Elder Goldwire McLendon from the moment he mesmerized judges Donnie McClurkin, Kim Burrell, and Tina Campbell at his audition with the Gaither hymn “He Touched Me.”  He went on to delight audiences every week with his velvet vocals and “soft-shoe shuffle” when the Spirit moved him.  Ultimately, the elder and former pastor became the runner-up to Le’Andria Johnson in the finale.  The fans he picked up along the way have anxiously awaited the release of his new project–The Best of Elder Goldwire McLendon–which features seven new recordings of the songs he wowed audiences with throughout the music contest.

At 81 years old, Elder McLendon may be new to the broader gospel community, but he is a legend in Philadelphia, where he was a member of Savoy recording group The Savettes, and where he was honored at Philadelphia’s First Annual Living Legend Music Awards (alongside Chubby Checker, Dee Dee Sharp, and Billy Paul).

Certainly, Elder McLendon has the skill and anointing to invoke the Holy Spirit’s presence.  It was a younger Goldwire McLendon who sang at the 1970 funeral of Ruth Davis, lead singer of the Golden Era gospel group, The Davis Sisters.  According to Anthony Heilbut’s book, The Gospel Sound, when he sang “Just to Behold His Face,” gospel icon Clara Ward “fell out, hollering long, loud, eminently musical shrieks.”

If there’s a number on The Best of Elder Goldwire McLendon that could create a similar effect, I imagine it would be “The Battle Is the Lord’s,” especially if it were to be experienced live.  “Jesus Be A Fence Around Me” may not make you fall out, but hand-clapping, toe-tapping, and head-bobbing are probable.  It’s in the vamp especially, that Elder McLendon rhythmically riffs over a funky organ driven musical backdrop, inserting phrases like “can’t no devil penetrate that fence” and “don’t leave no gap in between Lord.”

Not surprisingly, McLendon is very much at home with hymns, as is obvious by his equal parts simple and stirring rendition of “How Great Thou Art,” over lone piano accompaniment, and by his polished tenor on the traditional “I Know It Was the Blood.”  On the latter, he swings occasionally into a deliciously sweet falsetto before taking you to church in the vamp.  He does similarly on his cover of Edwin Hawkins’ “O Happy Day.”  Also for your listening and swaying pleasure are his covers of Alvin Darling’s “He’s All Over Me” and “I’ll Take You There,” popularized by the Staples Singers.  

With clean production by Stanley Brown and the tunes that kept the elder at the top week after week, my only disappointment is that this isn’t a live project with a companion DVD.

Favorites
“How Great Thou Art” – “I Know It Was the Blood” – “O Happy Day”

Fever Meter
SMOKIN’ (4 of 5 Stars)

“El’gebra” – Bryan Wilson

“El’gebra”
Bryan Wilson
From the digital-only EP, Bryan’s Back (2012)
www.bryanwilson.com

Bryan Wilson became an immediate pre-teen gospel sensation after his performance of “His Eye is on the Sparrow” with the Mississippi Children’s Choir in 1994.  After 18 years and several projects, accomplishments, and a university degree, Wilson is back with a digital-only extended play (EP) release aptly titled, Bryan’s Back.  The six-song project features the contemporary christian tune “El’gebra.”

Citing that “El” means God in Hebrew and “Algebra” is derived from an Arabic word meaning restoration, Wilson presents “El’gebra” as his term for restoration with God.  In the mid-tempo guitar driven song, Wilson creatively uses math concepts to express his love for Jesus.

“I didn’t add up…You made me equal when Your love subtracted all my evil….And then You multiplied Your favor….Now it’s You and I forever,” he sings.  Wilson’s full length CD is scheduled for release later this year. 

Besides singing, Wilson is also a minister.  On April 28, he will be elevated to the office of Apostle of the Bapolstogic Movement, Inc., a non-profit organization that he founded.

“The goal is to win souls with love, signs and passion,” says Wilson. “It’s a movement to make ride or die witnesses for Jesus Christ. It’s an infusion of doctrines I learned from the Baptist, COGIC, Apostolic and Deliverance denominations. I also studied Jewish history at Princeton Theological Seminary as a master’s of divinity student and have re-inserted that into the Christianity we practice. After all, Christianity is a Jewish religion but we’ve gotten away from that and I want to bring that culture back.”

"Free" – Tim Bowman, Jr.

“Free”
Tim Bowman, Jr.
From the upcoming CD, Beautiful (Available April 24, 2012)
www.timbowmanjr.com

Tim Bowman, Jr. scatted his way to notoriety on his aunt Vickie Winans’ radio hit, “How I Got Over.”  Now the 22 year-old Wayne State University pharmacy student–whose father is the renowned jazz guitarist Tim Bowman, Sr.–is stepping again to the forefront of the music scene with “Free,” the current single from his own soon-to-be-released CD, Beautiful.

“Free is a song that is very dear to me because it is a song that I can relate to myself,” says Bowman, who penned the inspirational song with producer/composer Josh Davis.  “As a young person in a traditional church setting where things are sometimes so cookie cutter or strict, it kinda makes it a little challenging for young people my age to express themselves as it relates to their way of worshipping God.  So this song just simply declares that I’m free to worship, free to shout, free to dance without any restraints or reservations. I want all of my music to cause people to feel again and to be liberated to worship God. So I encourage everyone to declare and walk in your freedom.”

Beautiful drops April 24, and features guest appearances by Vickie Winans and Dorinda Clark Cole.  Marvin Winans, Sr. sits in the producer’s chair for a medley on the 13-track set.