The five-piece bluegrass Gospel band Canaan’s Crossing recently announced the release of their second Song Garden Music Group album.

The self-titled collection (Song Garden SG-6023), which came available on July 1, consists of 12 songs mixing some songs that you have heard before with original material. Among the former category are Praying, Talk About Suffering, Gloryland, Palms Of Victory and The Best Is Yet To Come. There’s A Man In Here, a song written by Harold Reid and recorded 30 years ago by the Statler Brothers may ring a bell also.

The original material includes Give Me A Song To Sing, written by Vickie Dobbins, who the members of Canaan’s Crossing heard at a church concert one night. Another original, Goin’ To Heaven, was written by a local minister of music, Steve Lacey. Other songs on the project, Rain Fallin’ Down, Battle Scarred Soldier and I’m Going Over are personal favorites. In keeping with past practice an instrumental track is included; in this instance it’s a Tina Miller composition, Leavin’ Despair.

Tim Maze, bass player and lead vocalist, looks back with a lot of satisfaction ……..

“In the first full week that the project had been released sales were ahead of our other recordings, so we feel blessed with the economy being as it is that sales are as good as they are.

It is not a cliche to say that we feel this is our best recording ever because we truly feel that it is. This is our first project with our new mandolin player, Keith Cannon. He has brought so much to the table with his creativity and work ethic. The old saying that greatness comes when you surround yourself with good people and he is one that brings out the best in all of us.”

Canaan’s Crossing came into being in 2006; prior to that the same personnel had sung under the name Jordan River. The individuals concerned are the afore-mentioned Tim Maze, Tina Miller (fiddle), Andy Wilks (guitar), Wayne Burgett (banjo) and Keith Cannon, filling on mandolin for the indisposed Junior Saint. They come from the small North Alabama town of Arab.

In 2004 they were nominated for the Dove Bluegrass Album of the Year award with There’s No Other Way and in 2006 for the Traditional Gospel Group of the Year by SPBGMA.

Audio samples from Canaan’s Crossing can be found on the band’s web site.