Larry Stephenson is one of the best high lead/tenor singers in bluegrass today. He has a voice uncannily like that of Bobby Osborne’s and there can’t be any higher praise than that. Additionally, Osborne is a big fan, readily praising Stephenson’s contributions to the bluegrass genre.

Thankful is Larry Stephenson’s fourth bluegrass Gospel release and his second for his current label, Pinecastle Records.

In addition to Stephenson, playing mandolin, there are contributions from his then band members Dustin Benson (guitar, and lead and harmony vocals), Aaron McDarris (banjo, and lead and harmony vocals), with guest appearances by Sonya Isaacs (harmony vocals), Warren Goad (bass vocals), Ben Surratt (harmony vocals), Missy Raines (acoustic bass) and Shad Cobb (fiddles).

Stephenson picked the songs on Thankful, using his collection of about 3000 LPs as a source for a good few of the great songs among the round dozen in this collection. Old or new, the songs fit together well, thematically following the message of the title track.

Stephenson’s voice soars really high, pitch perfect, in the opening few bars of the first track, How High Is That Mountain, a new Jerry Salley song, and he sustains that elevated standard as the banjo and guitar push it on. Salley and Stephenson co-wrote the inspirational Open Up The Window. It relates the experience of some children terminally with cancer, who touchingly share their story of visions of the Angels that will come soon to take them away. Sonya Isaacs’ harmonizing helps add to the emotiveness, as does the deft fiddle playing. It’s soul searching stuff!

The title track is a little-known Louvin Brothers song, not surprisingly accompanied by guitar and mandolin supporting sibling-like harmonies.

A couple of songs are from the home of Good Home Grown Music, in other words, Dixie and Tom T. Hall. Lord It’s a Hard Road Home has Surratt and Goad harmonizing on the chorus and some with background humming. The second is specially written by the couple, with assistance from Stephenson, in memory of Larry’s recently departed mother, a happy mother’s day tribute, Every Day Is Mother’s Day.

When I Get Home and Weary Pilgrim Welcome Home are both new songs, the latter written by Barry Clevenger, the banjo player in the West Virginia band 2nd Generation. It is performed in a traditional Gospel quartet style. The former, by Tonya Lowman, a talented songwriter from North Carolina, bears all the hallmarks of a great old sacred song, although done in a contemporary style. Both are notable for the deep and resonant bass singing.

Stephenson mixes it up very well with Press On O’ Pilgrim, from Jim & Jesse, and Washed In The Blood Of The Lamb, right out of the Baptist Hymnal, showing that he recognizes good older material. I Need The Prayers “of those I love” is an old country song that Stephenson has been listening to for many years. Fiddles are prominent here, along with very tasteful banjo work and great harmonies on the choruses. Set Another Place At The Table “the rest of the family’s coming home” is an old Lewis Family song, with banjo well to the fore and a need lead guitar break. It provokes images of The Last Supper.

The sedate closing song, May The Good Lord Bless and Keep You, is an old Eddy Arnold song that Larry sings solo with a minimum of instrumental accompaniment.

Thankful is a thought-provoking collection of sacred songs done mainly in the traditional mode. Stephenson sings effortlessly and smoothly throughout. The ‘band’ is solid and the arrangements are interesting and variable. Stephenson demonstrates his deep affinity with sacred material and this CD confirms his status alongside the best of bluegrass Gospel singers.

I spoke to Larry about this CD and enquired what religion means to him. Here is his response…..

“Religion is very important to my wife and I. We attend a small Baptist church here in Cottontown, Tennessee, and enjoy it very much. Gospel music has always been a part of my life, in and out of bluegrass. It’s such a big part of bluegrass music and think that’s why all four of our gospel CDs are still in print.”

The album hits the streets on Tuesday [March 18], and audio samples can be found on the Pinecastle site.

The Soul Pickers are Shane Norman (mandolin and lead vocals), Tyler Anderson (banjo, finger-picked guitar and harmony vocals), Daniel Wiseman (guitar and harmony vocals) and Wayne Clemons (upright bass and harmony vocals) from the northern Alabama/Tennessee area.

They formed in 2003 and since that time, the Soul Pickers have done over 275 dates, including special church singings, homecomings, and revivals, as well as less obvious locations for a bluegrass Gospel band, like restaurants, civic gatherings, family functions and music barns.

The Beautiful River Of Life is the band’s debut album, coming courtesy of their signing for the Blue Circle label in April 2007.

The quartet is supplemented on this 12 track collection by producer Tom Brantley (fiddle, mandolin and bass vocals), Alicia Nugent (harmony vocals) and a host of ’shouters’ – Ms. Nugent, Brantley, Miss Dixie Hall, Melissa Lawrence, Becky Lawrence, Cari Norman, Paula Wolak, Clemons and Norman.

It is pleasing to see groups now mining the Dudley Connell song catalogue. The Soul Pickers open with a rousing rendition of God’s Not Dead – “I can feel Him all over me.” The opening bars are sung a cappella before Anderson drives the song on with a high degree of finesse that belies his youthfulness.

Prepare To Meet Eternity has a haunting, simple melody where instrumentally less is more, ensuring the lyrics have the right impact; “Remember friends as you pass by, As you are now so once was I, As I am now so you must be, Prepare to meet Eternity.” What beautifully crafted words. Josh Ogle’s other contribution, Ain’t That Just Like God notes the many virtues of our saviour, the things that He does for us “If we will only call Him and believe.”

Another well-crafted song with a simple melody is the title song. Tom T Hall’s way with words is well noted and the Miss Dixie – Tom T combination excels yet again. It’s a typically driving Southern gospel number.

One of the smoother performances, Can You Imagine, penned by Ricky Graves, asks you to put yourself in the place of our Saviour. With finger-picked guitar, mandolin and keening fiddle, it is an excellent example of the less is more philosophy.

The last track, He Loves To Hear You Shout, will be familiar to Don Rigsby fans, but The Soul Pickers version is distinctly their own. It is one of three songs written by Tom T and Dixie Hall; one has Troy Engle collaborating. It has a ministerial lead and a congregational response; hence the ’shouters’.

Those blessed ancient tones are very much in evidence in The Old Cross Roads, with Brantley’s fiddle a very strong feature on this song, as it is throughout. Another old favourite When I Wake Up is a standard quartet performed with conviction by four strong voices.

The CD is well-programmed with slower numbers interspersed with faster-tempo songs, like the old favourite I Am The Man, Thomas. Other up-tempo songs are Let’s All Shine and Second Coming, as is I Believe, a lesser-known song taken from the Del McCoury catalogue.

This is an exceptionally joyous Gospel CD with many superb songs and great arrangements. The pickers are allowed to shine, and shine they do, and the lead vocals and harmonies are suitably strong and certain.

Runaway Freight is a Tennessee-based band that has been in existence since December 2003. The band comprises Chris Smith (banjo and vocals), Justin Ford (Dobro ® and vocals), Matt Ford (guitar and dulcimer, vocals) and Sam Morgan (upright bass and vocals). Their usual stomping ground is Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, where they have performed at the two largest fairs for three years in a row.

They have two albums of secular material in addition to their newest CD, Welcome Aboard (Switch Track Records RF 8099), an all-Gospel set.In their promotional material they describe themselves as having “a sound all of their own based in traditional and old time with undertones of today’s progressive bluegrass bands.” Matt Ford explains,

“Our vocal stylings are different according to who is singing lead on the song. We all sing lead at one time or another. My brother, Justin and I, use a lot of ‘Stanley brothers style’ when we sing harmony to each other, while Sam sings a low lead instead of bass or baritone on some of the songs which gives a unison sound.”

The CD presents a mixture of older ‘traditional’ Gospel material, like I Am A Pilgrim, the lead vocal sung by the inimitable Sam Morgan, Washed In The Blood with a brief break on the bass and some of the unison singing about which Matt Ford was speaking, and Meeting At the Building, another track which features a short bass break.

There are six original songs of which Chris Smith provides two songs, Streets Of Gold and Come As You Are, on both of which Smith sings a fine lead vocal. The ubiquitous Halls (Tom T. and Dixie) have supplied two songs – the title track and Good Ole Gospel Music. The former rattles along with the banjo setting the tempo from the beginning. There’s a sparkling guitar break giving a taste of a feature that is found to good effect on several tracks. Good Ole Gospel Music is a wonderful reminder of the type of song that found great favour at old camp meetings.

Miss Dixie’s Welcoming Tomb has also been recorded by Ralph Stanley II. Here Justin Ford gives a heartfelt rendition with neat harmonies on the choruses and what sounds like a bowed bass. (more…)

This installment of Sunday Morning Revelations comes from our UK correspondent, Richard F Thompson. We will offer reviews of Gospel bluegrass releases on Sunday’s from time to time.

Thank You Lord is Hickory Hill’s first all-Gospel recording. It actually dates back to 2000 when the band comprised John Early (guitar and vocals), Don Eaves (banjo and vocals), the late Jimmy Godwin (guitar, fiddle and vocals), Ronny Singley (mandolin and vocals) and Bob Stegall (bass and vocals).

At that time they were just coming of age as one of Texas’s most popular acoustic groups. Their abilities had been recognised within their home state and across the USA, with SPBGMA nominations for providing an entertaining show while performing in a ‘contemporary’ style. Also, the band had showcased at the IBMA 1996 World Of Bluegrass event in Owensboro, Kentucky.

This CD is not your standard selection from Gospel music’s tried and trusted catalogue, although that assertion might be called into question with the presence of Connie Gately’s Shouting On The Hills Of Glory and a medley based on Larry Sparks’ Thank You Lord that the group heard done by The Whites at a Kerrville bluegrass festival.

In the short time that he was a member of Hickory Hill, Godwin was a prolific songwriter who had a marked influence on the band’s repertoire. For this set he contributed no less than five songs, demonstrating a deep affinity with the scriptures and an ability to compose good original songs to fit the need.

One such song is The Rock, co-written with Early and inspired by Psalms 61 and 62, done as a quartet with a call and response feature. Two others are the songs of salvation – one for a Hobo who was both Lost And Found – one of four duets, and The Salvation Of John Harlow, the recitation, with organ backing, that brings this set to a conclusion.

The two other Godwin songs illustrate a love of the little country church house. Red Roses are a feature of one such place of worship, while Old Time Feeling, the first Gospel song that Godwin wrote, notes the one place where Jesus Christ has an abiding presence. (more…)