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Producer: Phil Cross/Cliff Duren
Label: Sonlite Records
Website: http://www.poetvoices.com

Phil Cross is a name that has been associated with Southern Gospel Music for over 20 years, having written some of Southern Gospel’s best loved tunes. Though his group, Poet Voices, has gone through numerous changes since their original inception close to 15 years ago, I think it is this current incarnation of the group (which has been together for about 3 years or so) that has probably been the most solid sounding group he has ever had. Though their 3 mainline releases have been different in their own way, they been extremely consistent with giving us great songs and outstanding musical moments; and this newest release, “Steppin’ Stones” is no exception.

Starting off the recording is the title song, “STEPPIN’ STONES”. This is a medium tempo country sounding tune is an honest song about love and true forgiveness and is followed by the choral sounding “THE GREAT I AM STILL IS”, which features Mark Lanier. Penned by Mark and featuring Greg Crowe, “FOR ALL THE DAYS THAT END IN WHY” is a great tune with the feel of a country ballad and is one of the more memorable moments found on this recording. I could really see this song doing well in radio.

For this recording, Poet Voices went back and recorded a few tunes that Phil Cross has written that have previously been recorded by other artists. Those songs include “GOD IS GOOD” (Hoppers), “HE’S ALREADY IN YOUR TOMORROW” (Kingdom Heirs), “GLORY IN THE STORY” (Greenes and Three Bridges) and “HEAVEN’S HERO” (Greater Vision) and are all done in Poet Voices’ own unique style.

“YOU CHEER ME ON”, featuring Cross, is a great song of how we can be an encouragement to others, while the highly progressive tune, “PILGRIMS AND STRANGERS” reminds us that though we are all pilgrims and strangers in this world, this is not our home and one day we pilgrims and strangers will no longer be known as such, for we will be Home. I would love to see this song hit radio; it definitely would be something different. The recording ends with the driving tune, “WE SAY YES”.

All but one song was either written or co-written by Phil Cross with various writers such as Mark Lanier, Cliff Duren, Twila Labar, Sue C. Smith, Paul Stefanovich (who wrote the Hoppers hit song, “Jerusalem”) and Rebecca Peck. This is probably Poet Voices’ most diverse recording. The music of Phil Cross has always been accepted in the mainstream church world, and Poet Voices has a sound that is geared towards that market. They successfully manage to capture the sound of Southern Gospel and mix it up a bit with the more Progressive styles. They are unique in every aspect of the word, and this recording exemplifies perfectly what their music is all about.

Personal Favs: THE GREAT I AM STILL IS; FOR ALL THE DAYS THAT END IN WHY; GOD IS GOOD; HE’S ALREADY IN YOUR TOMORROW; PILGRIMS AND STRANGERS; WE SAY YES

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