The next album from Paul Williams & The Victory Trio, Just A Little Closer Home, will be released early in 2010 by Rebel Records.

As always, this is a new recording of heartfelt bluegrass Gospel music, featuring the veteran singer and his talented band. The material includes new songs from Paul, and Tom T. & Dixie Hall, plus a gem from Wade Mainer and a new contribution from Susie Keys, bass player with Victory Trio among the 12 tracks.

The complete track listings is:

• Living The Life Right Now
• What A Meeting In The Air
• Anywhere Is Home
  
• He Answered My Plea
• Only God’s Son
• The Best Time Of My Life
• Someone Made The Sandals Jesus Wore
  
• Just A Little Closer Home
• I’m Longing For Home
• There’s Still Time
  
• The Lord Still Lives In This Old House
• I’ve Been Set Free

Victory Trio consists of Paul Williams on mandolin and vocals, Dan Moneyhun on guitar and vocals, Adam Winstead on guitar and vocals, Jerry Keys on banjo and vocals, and Susie Keys on bass. Kevin Jackson guests on fiddle.

Mark Freeman at Rebel said that the exact release date hasn’t been set, but should be announced soon. If you just can’t wait, Paul has copies of the CD now, and is offering them for sale at his shows. Their tour schedule is listed on the band’s MySpace page.

This week’s featured CD on Bluegrass Junction’s Track By Track program is What A Journey, the current Gospel release on Rebel from Paul Williams & The Victory Trio.

Paul will join host Kyle Cantrell as they play all 13 tracks from the album – recently nominated for a Dove Award – and have Paul share his stories about how many of the songs and arrangements came to be.

The Williams show will debut this morning (3/11) at 11:00 a.m. (EDT), airing again on Sunday (3/16) at 11:00 a.m. and Tuesday (3/18) at 9:00 a.m.

Bluegrass Junction is heard on Sirius track 14 and XM channel 65.

The Gospel Music Association on Friday (2/20) announced the nominations for their forthcoming awards show.
Among the finalists for the 40th Annual Dove Awards are the following nominees in the two bluegrass categories.

Bluegrass Recorded Song (song; album; artist; writer; label)

• Help Is On The Way; Help Is On The Way; Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver; Michael E. Reed; Horizon Records
• I See A Crimson Stream; Sounds Like Sunday; Janet Paschal; Garfield T. Haywood; Vine Records
• The Old White Flag; You Gotta Love It!; Triumphant Quartet; Dianne Wilkinson; Daywind Records
• They’re Holding Up The Ladder; We Are Family; Jeff & Sheri Easter, Lewis Family, Easter Brothers; Russell Easter, James Easter, Edd Easter; Daywind Records
• What Will I Wear?; I Just Wanted You To Know; Kim Hopper; Deborah Bailey; Canaan Records

Bluegrass Album (album; artist; producer; label)

• Bluegrass Worship; Various; Steve Ivey; Star Song Music
• Help Is On The Way; Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver; Doyle Lawson; Horizon Records
• Hymns From Chigger Hill; Chigger Hill Boys & Terri; Mike Richards, Terri Argot Gore, Ricky Gore, Mark Dunham, Bobby Strangenberg, Ethan Blair, Justin Kropf; Daywind Records
• I Don’t Regret A Mile; Larry Sparks; Larry Sparks; Sparks Music
• Pickin’, Praisin’, & Singin’: Hymns From The Mountain; Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad; Bill McBee, Dale Thomas, Jerry Cole, Cody Shuler, Matt Flake; Rural Rhythm
• We Are Family; Jeff & Sheri Easter, Lewis Family, Easter Brothers; Jeff Easter, Sheri Easter; Daywind Records
• What A Journey; Paul Williams & The Victory Trio; Paul Williams; Rebel Records

Bluegrass artists, musicians, producers and labels are also represented among the nominees in a variety of other categories, most notably in the following …..

Special Event Album (album; artist; producer; label)

• Billy: The Early Years Official Motion Picture Soundtrack; Brooks & Dunn, Mac Powell, Sara Evans, Alan Jackson, China Edelman, Patty Griffin, Brandon Heath, Gregory Page, Michael W. Smith, Melinda Doolittle, Roy Orbison, Brad Paisley, Josh Turner, Sierra Hull, John Cowan, Harry Stinson, Ronnie Bowman, Ronnie McCoury, John Wesley Ryles; Anastasia Brown; Arista Nashville, Essential Records
• Country Bluegrass Homecoming Volume One; Gaither Vocal Band, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, The Grascals, Buddy Greene, The Isaacs, Gordon Mote, Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, The Booth Brothers, George Jones, Wesley Pritchard, Reggie & Ladye Love Smith, Brittany Allen, Jeff & Sheri Easter, Charlotte Ritchie, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Jimmy Fortune, Dailey & Vincent, Jason Crabb, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, Cherryholmes, Lisa Daggs-Charette, Vince Gill, Sonya Isaacs, Becky Isaacs Bowman; Bill Gaither; Gaither Music Group
• How Great Thou Art: Gospel Favorites from the Grand Ole Opry; The Charlie Daniels Band, Mac Powell, Alan Jackson, Patty Loveless, Ronnie Milsap, Ricky Skaggs & The Whites, Sara Evans, Brad Paisley, Trace Adkins, Loretta Lynn, Vince Gill, Dierks Bentley, Carrie Underwood; Steve Gibson; Sony BMG Nashville

Long Form Music Video (title; artist; director; producer; production company; label)

• Country Bluegrass Homecoming Volume One; Bill & Gloria Gaither; Doug Stuckey; Bill Gaither; Gaither Television Productions; Gaither Music Group

The recipients will be announced at the televised show on April 23 in Nashville, Tennessee.

A complete list of nominees and more information about the GMA and the Dove Awards is available online.

In addition to the Kenny & Amanda Smith CD we mentioned on Monday, Rebel Records has a new release from Paul Williams & The Victory Trio due on September 9.

What A Journey features Paul with his touring band on another set of soulful, traditional bluegrass Gospel delivered by one of the most gifted tenor vocalists ever to sing a bluegrass song.

Paul handles the mandolin and lead/tenor vocals, with help from Dan Moneyhun on lead and low tenor vocals (and guitar), Adam Winstead on rhythm guitar and vocals, Jerry Keys on banjo, Susie Keys on bass, and Keith Williams on fiddle.

Two new Paul Williams songs are included, Don’t Worry About Me and Hid Away With God, along with one from Tom T. and Dixie Hall (There’s A Miracle Everywhere You Go) and a Don Reno Gem (My Mother’s Bible).

This CD is also shipping to radio this week, so you should be hearing selections on your favorite shows/stations soon.