Kingsmen – Born Again, ReviewsCD Review

Nov

2004

Kingsmen – Born Again

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[13] Comments

Producer: Danny Crawford/Tim Surrett
Label: Horizon Records
Website: www.kingsmenquartet.com

Growing up on Kingsmen records, I never could envision gospel music without the Kingsmen Quartet. That day came in 2001 when the name was retired. While the name remained in retirement for 3 years, the group carried on as the Carolina Boys Quartet. But now the Kingsmen Quartet has been “Born Again!” Building upon their rich history, the group went back and re-recorded some of their classic songs from days gone by, with a few new songs interspersed throughout. The Kingsmen Quartet sounds great, and it is wonderful to see the name back and with the sound that is distinctively Kingsmen!

Starting CD off and running is “BEAUTIFUL HOME” , which is one of my all time favorite Kingsmen songs. It's still exciting for me to hear them sing this song. Continuing with that uptempo feel, the group moves on to sing, “I'LL HAVE A HOME”.

Newest member, Jeremy Peace tackles a Johnny Parrack classic from 30 years ago called, “JESUS, I LOVE YOU ” and I have to say, he does it justice. The group then moves to another Kingsmen classic that I thought had all but been left behind in the 1980's called, “EXCUSES”. Featuring a special appearance by Jim Hamill, and with all respect intended, this should have been left in the 80s! I had hoped they never would resurrect this song, though it is a defining point in their history. I would have much rather heard Hamill tackle “MEET ME AT THE TABLE”, which the group does later on in the recording with Tim Surrett doing the verses.

Ray Reece and Tim Surrett are featured on the lively “IF I LIVED TO TELL IT ALL”, which would make a great radio song. Speaking of radio songs, Jeremy seems to sound his best on the slower songs and he shines on the Sandy Knight penned tune, “YOU KEEP PRAYING” , which is the current radio single from the recording. This song is one of those that could easily fly under the radar, but I expect this song will do very well for the Kingsmen.

Two classic songs the Kingsmen first recorded over 30 years ago is the perennial favorite, “WHEN I WAKE UP TO SLEEP NO MORE” as well as “LOVE WILL ROLL THE CLOUDS AWAY” , and the Kingsmen do a great job reviving these.

Tim Surrett steps up to sing one of my all time favorite songs, “HE'LL HOLD MY HAND”. This is one of the songs I grew up on, and it is always a joy to hear it sung.

Closing out the recording on a slower note are “WHEN JESUS PRAYED” written by Dianne Wilkinson and another Kingsmen classic from over 10 years ago, “THE CROSS HAS WON AGAIN” , which features Jason Selph.

Though there are some wonderful shining moments on this recording and it is a great recording to say the least, I don't think it parallels to the excitement found in past Kingsmen recordings. I was blown away with their first recording after the name change as the Carolina Boys Quartet on “Good News”. That recording featured the excitement that had been missing for a while on previous Kingsmen recordings. Then the excitement level slumped a bit on “Ready”. I had hoped to see that same excitement renewed on here, but it does take up a few notches from “Ready”, so they could very well be on their way back. Having grown up a “dyed in the wool” Kingsmen fan, I will admit that there are some heavy expectations on my part. Though this didn't live up to my personal hopes, I am still a HUGE Kingsmen fan! I am thrilled to see the name again and think this is still a great recording and worth the investment. No matter what…The Kingsmen will always rule!

Personal Favs: BEAUTIFUL HOME; I'LL HAVE A HOME; JESUS, I LOVE YOU; IF I LIVED TO TELL IT ALL; YOU KEEP PRAYING; WHEN I WAKE UP TO SLEEP NO MORE; HE'LL HOLD MY HAND

Reader Comments

i love this cd. it took me back in time to the old songs they did in the 80s. i hope they bring back some more of there older songs.

Commented by On 12/31/2004

I bought this CD yesterday and have had the chance to listen to it two or three times now. I agree with James' 4 star rating. There's some classic Kingsmen songs on this recording that the current group performs well. It's a notch under _Good News_ in overall quality, but I would probably rate it about equal or perhaps slightly better than _Ready_.

Commented by David Bruce Murray On 03/22/2005

I appreciate James Hales favs listing, since I was the writer of "I'll Have a Home" on the Kingsmen's CD "Born Again." When the Kingsmen contacted me about recording my song, I was so excited. The song has a very special meaning to me. At the time I wrote it, my husband and I didn't have a home to call our own. We hadn't been married for very long, had very little furniture and were renting a house. We both had suffered very bad times in our lives. One day at work, God gave me the song right then and there, the whole entire thing. I was so thankful and still am to my God for his blessings, his precious hand on my life. I certainly hope that all who listen to the CD will think of me and my husband and say a special prayer for us. God has richly blessed us in our singing and songwriting.
Thanks for your time and your kind words.

Sincerely,

Jean Sanderson
Huntsville, Alabama

Commented by On 05/08/2005

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