
Producer: Mike Upright/Scott Barnett
Label: Independent Release
Website: No Website
Plain. Simple. Good. The title more than adequately describes this latest release from Mike Upright, as it is just that.plain, simple and down right good. Mike's down to earth style has endeared him into the hearts of many people, and he has been quite successful at garnering many fans from the same people who enjoy the likes of the McKameys, Inspirations and Primitive Quartet; and not many soloists can boast of that accomplishment!
Mike starts things off with a classic Wendy Bagwell & The Sunliters tune from 20 years ago called, "HE IS RISEN" and it lays the perfect foundation for this recording and is followed by a Primitive Quartet favorite from around the same time period entitled, "THE ONLY FIRE", which Mike performs flawlessly.
With fiddles blazing, the pace finally picks up for "THE NARROW WAY" and leads into the thought provoking story-song entitled, "THE VISIT". Mike then moves on to another familiar tune, "I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN". Recently recorded and charted by the Inspirations, Mike picks the pace up just a tad with his rendition of the tune before moving on to the up-tempo, "PROMISED LAND", which features a strong banjo track.
The final four tunes on the recording kind of run together musically; but special mention must be given to the final song, "WHAT A PRAYER CAN DO" (which I recently found out that Upright actually wrote himself). It's one of those rare songs that a lot of artists record (and several artists have recorded this great song) but rarely ever gets heard on a concert stage or on the radio. I'm glad to see this song continue to resurface every couple of years and the song closes out the recording perfectly.
I was disappointed that no songwriter information is given in the credits, though credit is given to the musicians and singers involved. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mike's personal liner notes on the recording; it's reminiscent of the liner notes one would read on those Canaan and Heartwarming albums from the 1960s and 1970s. Kudos must be given to the cover artwork on the recording. For those who long for simpler times and simpler music, they will need to get their hands on this latest release by Mike Upright. It's just as the title implies. Plain. Simple. Good.
Song List:
1 - He is Risen
2 - The Only Fire
3 - Narrow Minded
4 - The Visit
5 - I Have Not Forgotten
6 - Promised Land
7 - When the Sun Comes Up Tomorrow
8 - It's Bound to Be the Lord
9 - Too Much Time
10 - What a Prayer Can Do
Reader Comments





