Category: Top articles

The Inspirations to release retrospective collection, Ageless Treasures

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

CROSSROADS RECORDS

Arden, North Carolina (March 14, 2023) — Throughout the last few years, the latest generation of storied Southern Gospel quartet The Inspirations were a highlight of the National Quartet Convention, featured on the cover of Singing News magazine, and winners of the publication’s fan awards for favorite album and favorite young artist. As the group prepares to record new music, they are pausing to look back at decades of music with Ageless Treasures, a two-disc retrospective of fan-favorite songs set to be released April 14. It’s now available for pre-order, add or save.

Since forming in 1964, The Inspirations‘ distinct sound has always been instantly recognizable and has changed little across 57 years of recordings — no matter who was singing. This sound carries through the 30 songs on Ageless Treasures, which features #1 songs “I’ll Not Turn My Back On Him Now,” “If You Only Knew” and “I Have Not Forgotten”; fan favorites like “We Need To Thank God” and “In The Twinkle Of An Eye”; and classics such as “They’re Holding up The Ladder” and “I’ll Have A New Life.”

Says lead vocalist Roland Kesterson, “For the last 22 years, The Inspirations have been blessed to have been on the Horizon Records label. Over the span of two decades, we have recorded some songs that have become fan favorites, songs that we still stage today and have requests for each night. Every song we sing is special to us, however, only a few stand the test of time and become ageless, in other words songs that never get old.”

“As you listen to this collection,” he continues, “it’s our prayer that each song not only blesses your heart but fills your mind with memories of the first time you heard them and how God has used these songs to minister to you as well as us. We hope you can once again enjoy our Ageless Treasures.” 

The Kingsmen revisit classic songs on Decades, a stunning retrospective

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

SPECIAL CROSSROADS MEDIA

Arden, North Carolina (February 21, 2023) — One can hardly begin to count the ways in which the world has changed since 1959, yet at least two things have been constant from then until now: the already timeless message of the Christian Gospel, and its powerful delivery through the music of Southern Gospel greats, The Kingsmen. Now, as their newest lineup prepares for its full-length debut release later this year, the legendary quartet and their label of some 30 years, Horizon Records, offer Decades, a stunning 2-disc retrospective full of highlights from that storied career, some neglected treasures — and the reappearance of some of the group’s very first recordings, unheard for over 60 years. The album is now available for pre-order, add or save ahead of its March 24 release. 

“For the last couple years, we have been trying to get into the studio and re-record some of our favorites,” says baritone singer Alan Kendall. “Yet due to timing never quite being just right, we came to the decision that we would rather focus our recording efforts toward recording more new material. 

“However, when Drew Laney, Thomas Nalley, and Cole Watson joined us, we began looking for some Kingsmen material from years past that we felt would fit them stylistically — and wound up thinking that re-releasing some of these old favorites in their original form would be something that the fans would enjoy. We have not only selected some of the greatest hits of the Kingsmen, but also some of those ‘forgotten gems’ that we felt needed to be heard once again.”

“We also came across a 1959 EP on 45RPM, while visiting at the home of original baritone Raymond McKinney, with music that hasn’t been heard in over 60 years: Reece McKinney, bass; Raymond, baritone; Frank Cutshall, lead; Jack Henderson, tenor; and Eldridge Fox at the piano. This early quartet, even under such primitive recording conditions, was an outstanding singing group, and we are thrilled to add all four of these largely-unheard performances to the collection.”

“In 1959, the Kingsmen were appearing regularly on WHBK Radio in Marshall, NC, and performing whenever we were given the opportunity,” recalls Raymond McKinney.  “We would rehearse at my house weekly, and one night, we recorded four songs during one of these very rehearsal sessions. We had no idea what lay in store for the Kingsmen in the years ahead, but I am fully convinced that God has had His hand on the Kingsmen ministry from the very beginning. I hope you enjoy this collection of music by the Kingsmen Quartet down through the years, including the four songs from 1959 which have not been heard in more than six decades.”

Opening with one of those precious historical recordings, Decades winds through the years, sampling the group’s supremely rich catalog of long-retired and still active songs and lineups, right up to the current decade’s previously-unreleased “Shaking Off The Clay,” recorded during the session for 2021’s More To The Story. Mixing studio performances with spirit-filled live recordings that range from the homespun classic quartet sound to elaborate arrangements, it’s both a reminder of The Kingsmen’s unique legacy and contribution to Southern Gospel, and a token of contributions still to come.

The Steeles’ Album, Be The Reason, is Available Today

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

SPECIAL: STOWTOWN RECORDS

Nashville, TN (February 17, 2023) – Three years and seven radio hits after their debut StowTown Records album, The Steeles have released their newest album, Be The Reason. This collection of songs is available at all digital music outlets today here and is distributed worldwide by Provident/Sony Distribution.

“After doing this for so long, you would think we would eventually run out of things to say. But as long as God is good and we are able, we plan to keep on writing and singing,” states Jeff Steele. “The message of this album is near and dear to me. We all need grace, myself included, because we are all going through something.”

Included on the album are eight songs, all co-written by Brad Steele. Long-time fans have watched Brad grow up in his family group, and it is evident that he spent that time learning the skills of songwriting and communication from his father Jeff. And while Brad carries on that family legacy, he has grown into a solid songwriter in his own right, creating songs that speak to his generation with the lyrical depth for which The Steeles are so well known. “On this album alone, we talk about addiction and depression and regret and all those other things we like to act like we as Christians don’t battle,” Brad shares. “We strive to write and select songs that we know are going to meet people in the middle of whatever they’re going through and let them know there’s a God who loves them and cares about them. I like to think we try to connect with audiences of all ages and musical preferences. I think this new album does that really well.”

As a forerunner to this album, they released the song “A Hundred Different Altars,” which highlights the mercy and forgiveness of our loving God, no matter the difficult situation. Similarly, the song “In The Dark” speaks to struggles that weigh us down and isolate us, reminding us that God will “join you in the dark” and urges us not to give up. These two songs are thematically balanced by songs of worship, such as “Undefeated” and “Braggin’ On Jesus.” The title cut, “Be The Reason,” encourages us to intentionally be the hands and feet of Jesus to those around us, thereby showing them His love.

Once again, The Steeles partnered with longtime producer and friend Wayne Haun for Be The Reason. As an instrumental force behind their biggest albums, nobody knows the music of The Steeles better than Haun. “Wayne is just like family to us,” reveals Sherry Steele. “We have worked on so many projects together; he truly is the best. He brings each song to life in a way that you could have never imagined.”  

Wayne agrees that their personal friendship is special, and he continues to champion The Steeles as writers and artists. “I love the way The Steeles rise to a new level every time an album releases,” he shares. “These songs gave me chills as I listened to them in their rawest form. I knew then that they were special. ‘A Hundred Different Altars’ alone is worth the price of the project. That may very well be one of the most important songs written for the body of Christ.”

The Steeles’ musical legacy is solidly sound. More importantly, Be The Reason continues to point people to the One who meets them where they are in the midst of struggles and chaos. The Steeles encourage listeners to give praise to God, not only for what He’s done, but simply for who He is. And that is what makes Be The Reason a must-have album.

Be The Reason Track List:
Braggin’ On Jesus (Brad Steele & Jeff Steele)
Undefeated (Brad Steele, Darryl Johnson & Savannah McKee)
Be The Reason (Brad Steele, Jeff Steele & John Mathis, Jr.)
A Hundred Different Altars (Brad Steele, Joel Lindsey & Brad Guldemond)
Every Almost (Brad Steele, Sue C. Smith & Karen Gillespie)
On The King’s Shoulders (Brad Steele & Jeff Steele)
In The Dark (Brad Steele & Jeff Steele)
On The Way (Brad Steele & Jeff Steele)

The Kingdom Heirs take on legendary songson Something Good Volume 3

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

CROSSROADS

Arden, North Carolina (February 14, 2023) — When a legendary group takes on legendary songs, the results are bound to be special—and indeed, the first two collections of favorites from the Kingdom Heirs were so well received that the quartet has returned to the well once more for Something Good, Volume 3, on Sonlite Records. The album is now available for pre-order, add or save ahead of its April 7 release.

Like its predecessors, Something Good, Volume 3 finds the famed ensemble — now boasting a new lineup as they head toward their 40th year as Dollywood’s resident gospel group — drawing from the deep well of long-beloved yet ever-timely songs to create an album that that will not only bring old memories to life, but make new ones, too.   

“Over the past 6 years, we’ve recorded a series of albums entitled Something Good,” says singer Loren Harris. “This is the third volume in that series, with the current lineup of myself on lead and Andy Stringfield on baritone along with Jacob Ellison and Jeff Chapman on tenor and bass respectively. This recording, like the two before it, has some of our favorite songs that have been recorded over the years by other groups, by groups that we may have performed with, or remakes of Kingdom Heir classics!”

From the opening “I’m Forgiven,” a spirited, horn- and piano-driven celebration of God’s mercy that dates back to the late 1970s, to the classic quartet sound of the closing “Glory Road,” first introduced in 1973 by The Kingsmen, Something Good, Volume 3 is a loving survey of Gospel music treasures, each given the Kingdom Heirs’ unique treatment. Country flavors predominate, with the pedal steel guitar and harmonica making regular appearances alongside the ever-present keyboards, but there is room for much more, too, including elaborate orchestrations that surround the quartet’s voices with a rich sonic tapestry on songs such as The Kingsmen’s “The Cross Has Won Again,” Happy Goodman Family’s “That Sounds Like Home To Me” and The Perrys’ “He Will Hide Me,” and a two-part arrangement of “Moving Up To Gloryland” that puts the Kingdom Heirs’ own unique stamp on the popular favorite. Indeed, with each song, whether it features Harris, Stringfield, Ellison or Chapman — or all four voices throughout — the Kingdom Heirs manage to summon echoes of earlier performances while shining through with a musical character and a spiritual richness that’s all theirs.  

Says Harris, “I think you’ll enjoy this trip down memory lane as we relive this wonderful music that we love to sing” — and if the enthusiastic reception given by their fans to the previous volumes of Something Good is any indication, it’s a trip listeners will be happy to take over and over again.

Lauren, Amber & Kenna release much-anticipated first single

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

SPECIAL CROSSROADS RECORDS

Arden, North Carolina (February 10, 2023) — Last year’s news that Southern Gospel singing and songwriting favorites — and long-time friends — Lauren Talley, Amber Eppinette Saunders and Kenna Turner West were coming together for a special project spurred a groundswell of anticipation that is now being met with the release of their first single, “Ever-Present, Almighty God” on Horizon Records. Adding an extra measure of interest, the song is the first from Horizon to be released in Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL. 

Allowing listeners to feel as if they’re inside the song itself, Dolby Laboratories’ Dolby Atmos is familiar to many from its “surround sound” application in thousands of movie theaters. It is described by the respected sound technology innovator as “revealing depth, clarity and details like never before….a sound experience you can feel all around you.” Audio produced in Dolby Atmos adapts automatically to your Atmos-compatible device and system to give you an all-enveloping sound experience you would not expect.

Billed as Lauren, Amber & Kenna, the trio has translated its informal origin, captured in a viral social media video of them harmonizing in a car, into a mighty, well-crafted and heartfelt debut that both fulfills the promise of that initial spark and offers new ones — of music still to come, but more importantly, of God’s infinite power and grace. Bold and expansive from its opening notes, “Ever-Present, Almighty God” moves swiftly to highlight Lauren Talley’s unmistakable lead, as she begins the song’s reminder of two Biblical stories that illustrate God’s unquenchable power, and the call to unshakable faith that allows Him to bring it to bear. As the music swells, the song — written by Kenna, her long-time writing partner, Jason Cox, and Amber — moves to a triumphant chorus that finds the three voices joined in celebration:

He’s the God who shuts the mouths of lions
He’s the God who stands in the flame
When you’re up against what seems impossible
Remember you’re not
He’s the ever-present, almighty God

“As a songwriter,” says Kenna, “I love to write songs that remind us of what God has done in the past, because it encourages us to keep believing for what He has yet to do. That’s been a theme in my songwriting for years, and is one of the reasons I am so blessed by our new single. Add to that how much I love to sing with Amber and Lauren, and what you have in this song is one of the most rewarding recordings of my career.”

Adds Lauren, “‘Ever-Present, Almighty God’ showcases the character of each voice – not only mine, but the smoky texture of Kenna Turner West’s low notes and Amber Eppinette Saunders’ powerful high range, all on full display in a song we hope will move and inspire the listener,” while Amber offers the pithiest observation of all: “This song is a great reminder that we have an ON TIME, sovereign God that is in full control! What a joy it is to sing this with my dear friends.”

Listen to “Ever-Present, Almighty God” on Texas Gospel Canada!