Category: Southern Gospel

Carolina The Band loses a longtime voice as Mitchell Whisnant steps away

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JEFF TURNER

Every band has a shape that shifts over time; new members arrive, others move on, and the sound bends around whoever’s left holding the songs. For Carolina The Band, that shape is changing again. Mitchell Whisnant, the North Carolina outfit’s lead guitarist and vocalist, has announced he’s leaving after five years of touring and recording with the group.

The news lands the way these things usually do in the music world: quietly, then all at once. Whisnant framed his exit not as a rupture but as the natural end of a chapter, saying the decision came after a season of reflection, gratitude, and anticipation for what lies ahead, both personally and professionally. It’s the kind of language that sounds diplomatic on paper but carries real weight when you consider what those five years actually looked like: van rides between towns, soundchecks in rooms that were half empty and then, eventually, full; the slow accumulation of a following built one night at a time.

That grind is where Carolina earned its reputation. The band has spent years crisscrossing the country, and the qualities that show up on any list of what makes a great live act, dynamic performances, exceptional songwriting, pristine vocals, and an enthusiasm for the audience that never reads as manufactured, are the qualities people keep coming back for. Carolina built that trust the old-fashioned way, night after night, and it’s part of why Whisnant’s departure feels significant rather than routine.

Bands survive lineup changes; the good ones almost always do. But there’s no pretending a five-year member walking away doesn’t leave a mark on the sound and the story. Whisnant’s guitar work and vocals have been part of Carolina’s identity since he joined, and whoever steps into that space next inherits not just a role but a relationship, the one between a band and the fans who’ve watched it evolve.

Carolina’s evolution has always been the story anyway. Each change has forced growth, and each new person has left a fingerprint on the collective style that defines the band. Whisnant’s exit is simply the latest chapter in that ongoing rewrite, and if the band’s history is any indication, they’ll keep moving, keep touring, and keep finding new ways to hold onto what made people fall for them in the first place.

Something’s Goin’ On: Anthem Edition finds its voice in faith and harmony

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AMY TURNER

There comes a time in every gospel quartet’s evolution when the songs stop being just songs and start being confessions. For Anthem Edition, that moment arrived while they were combing through material for their upcoming Sonlite Records EP, Something’s Goin’ On, out August 28.

“When we started searching for songs to record, each member of the group had songs that truly spoke to where they are in life right now,” says Tim Rackley, the group’s founder and a member since its earliest days as The Old Paths back in 2003. “We knew, if the songs moved us in a powerful way, they would move the listeners as well.”

That’s not marketing language; it’s a philosophy Rackley has clearly built a career on. “You cannot deliver a song fully if you don’t feel it yourself,” he says, and it shows in how the seven-track collection comes together. Three songs have already made their way into the world, including “He Is Who He Is,” which is climbing the charts as we speak. The other four are new, and together the whole project moves like a conversation, up-tempo celebration giving way to something quieter, then rising again.

The EP opens and closes on its most joyful notes, bookended by “He Is Who He Is” and the title track, but the real emotional center lives somewhere in the middle. “He Still Washed His Feet” pulls the group into something intimate and reflective. “Land Of Joy Untold” leans into a relaxed, country-inflected groove. “I’m Another Lazarus” plays like a testimony shouted from the rooftops. It’s a group finding range, not just repeating a formula.

I am saved, I’m a living testimony of His grace
I’m the evidence of what the Blood can change
That sins can be erased
And it’s all because of mercy I am saved
I am saved

Then there’s “I Am Saved,” the project’s focus track and, by Rackley’s account, its clearest statement of purpose. Producer Roger Talley brought contemporary textures into the arrangement without losing what makes a quartet chorus hit the way it does. The lyrics don’t dress up the message:

“Filled with strong songs, great harmonies, and messages that point people to Christ, this project blends the best of Southern Gospel tradition with a fresh sound for today’s listeners,” Rackley says. “From start to finish, these songs encourage, inspire, and remind us of God’s faithfulness. Something’s Goin’ On shows just how far this lineup has come.”

That distance is worth sitting with. What began in 2003 as a trio called The Old Paths, founded by Roark and Rackley, grew into a quartet and eventually national recognition. Signing with Crossroad Music’s Sonlite Records in 2012 led to the breakout album Right Now, two number one hits, and a Singing News Fan Award for Favorite New Quartet. There was a hiatus in 2015, a return to the road in 2017, and then, in late 2022, a full rebrand: The Old Paths became Anthem Edition, with Andrew Utech stepping in on bass. Cameron Edens joined as tenor in the fall of 2023, filling out the lineup that now sings these songs like they mean them, because, according to Rackley, they do.

Something’s Goin’ On is available for pre-save now, ahead of its August 28 release on Sonlite Records.

Chosen Road’s Zach Alvis celebrates arrival of baby Josie

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AMY TURNER

Josie Leona Alvis arrived a little ahead of schedule, and her dad, Zach Alvis of Chosen Road, made sure fans heard the news. Born July 3rd at 6:11 PM, Josie weighed 6 lbs, 6 oz and measured 18.5 inches long.

Alvis shared the news on Facebook with the same heartfelt honesty that colours his music: “It wasn’t the timeline we had planned, but we’re reminded once again that the Lord’s plans are always better than ours. His providence is perfect, and His faithfulness never EVER fails. We’re overwhelmed with gratitude that our baby girl is healthy, Momma is doing well, Jack is the proudest big brother ever and shown once again how God has been so kind to us through it all. We know every good and perfect gift comes from Him, and this sweet little life is a reminder of His grace and mercy.”

Congratulations to the Alvis family on the newest addition to their household.

Steve Ladd on the mend after hip surgery, eager to get back to what he calls his calling

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AMY TURNER

Steve Ladd has spent his life singing about redemption, and this summer, he’s living out a smaller version of that story: recovery.

The artist, who grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and was once nominated for New Artist of the Year by the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame, underwent a full hip replacement at the end of June. It wasn’t a routine procedure. Ladd had surgery on the same hip as a child, and the old complications resurfaced on the operating table. According to a Facebook post by his wife, Meagan, the surgery ran about an hour longer than doctors had planned.

Still, Ladd came through it, and by all accounts, he’s bouncing back fast. He’s already deep into physical therapy, and the reports have been encouraging. On Monday, he shared the news himself in a Facebook post that read like classic Ladd: equal parts gratitude and gospel fire.

“Therapist just left. He said everything looked great and that I’m doing good (movement wise),” he wrote. “I’m ready to get back to doing what I love to do and what I’m called to do… SING! Maybe this new hip will help me sing better?!”

That sense of calling has defined Ladd’s career for years. His music has always leaned into themes of faith and restoration, and his latest single, “Mercy Seat,” carries that same thread forward, exploring spiritual redemption, forgiveness, and what Ladd describes as unconditional freedom found through Jesus.

For an artist whose whole catalogue circles back to grace and second chances, a hip that’s giving him a second chance of its own feels almost fitting. Fans who’ve followed Ladd’s journey through the Gospel Music world will recognize the tone: humour, humility, and an eagerness to get back to the stage.

For now, Ladd is focused on healing. But if his Facebook post is any indication, it won’t be long before he’s back on the road, mic in hand, doing the thing he’s always said he was made to do.

The Hyssongs bring daughter Makayla into the family harmony with new Worship Medley single

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AMY TURNER

Makayla Hyssong may not have known what to expect when the Hyssongs walked into the studio and she stepped up to the microphone. She just wanted to sing “Shout to the Lord” the way she’d always heard it in her head.

“Her emotional rendition of this anthem brought tears to everyone in the studio while recording,” says her father, Richard Hyssong, still sounding a little amazed by it. It’s the kind of moment that doesn’t come around often, even for a family that has spent nearly three decades making music together.

The Maine based Southern Gospel trio is barely getting comfortable with their new label home, Horizon Records, where lead single “Good News Savior” is just now finding its way to radio. But The Hyssongs have never been a group content to sit still, and their new “Worship Medley” arrives close behind their last release, “It’s Not Over Yet,” a song that turned Makayla’s own health struggles into a testimony about faith and healing. This time, rather than singing about her, the family is singing alongside her, and it marks the first time Makayla has been featured on a Hyssong recording.

Working again with producer Jeff Collins, the family threads together three worship standards into one continuous, sweeping performance. It opens with the propulsive energy of “You Are Good,” settles into the emotional core of Makayla’s “Shout to the Lord,” and closes with “Awesome God,” a version built around a string arrangement that swells into a full orchestral finale.

For Richard Hyssong, the medley isn’t just a showcase for his daughter’s voice, it’s meant as something closer to an offering. “With all of the noise and issues in this world,” he says, “these songs will help us reflect on almighty God and bring us to the point of worship.”

That instinct, to cut through the noise with something plainspoken and sincere, has defined The Hyssongs since they started singing together as a family 29 years ago. Their sound draws on classical training as much as gospel tradition, and it shows in the tight harmonies and unusual chord voicings that set them apart from other trios on the circuit. Add in a horn section featuring trumpet and trombone, plus the easy humour that runs through their live shows, and you get a group whose ministry feels less like a performance and more like an invitation.

The accolades have piled up accordingly. The group took home the Singing News Fan Award for Favorite New Trio in 2014 at the National Quartet Convention in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and they’ve landed among the Top Ten Trios of the Year every year since. Their chart run has been just as consistent, with songs like “There Is A God,” “Choose Life,” “Run The Race,” “I Tell Them Jesus” and “Let the Hallelujahs Ring” all reaching number one on the Singing News Radio Charts. AbsolutelyGospel.com tapped them as an artist to watch back in 2015, and their album Faith & Family was named a Top 10 record of the year by Singing News Fans in 2017.

None of that history explains what happened when Makayla stepped up to sing, though. Some things you can build over 29 years of family harmony. Others just arrive, fully formed, in a single take.