Liberty Quartet, Northwest Church, Fresno, CA 1/22/10
For the first time since this past April's GWSGFF, I was able to see one of my favorite gospel groups, Boise, Idaho's Liberty Quartet in a concert appearance at Fresno's Northwest Church this evening.
I confess, my expectations were quite high for tonight. Ever since I happened upon them some years ago as a result of doing our radio program, I have admired these men. Not merely because of their undeniable musical abilities, which they've had since the outset(they are arguably the finest gospel quartet based west of the Mississippi River), but also because that as much as any gospel aggregate in the past few decades, they have coupled great musical ability with an evangelistic approach to their craft comparable to the Couriers, one of gospel's most influential and legendary groups.
Yes, the Liberty Quartet is not the flashiest or the most flamboyant quartet to hit the scene, but they are most accomplished singers(their bass, Royce Mitchell, is as good as any bass currently traveling), they sing outstanding songs, and like the aforementioned Couriers, are more concerned about communicating the gospel message through either song or interaction with their fans than about getting big crowd pops or standing ovations or any other kind of personal acclaim given them.
I know some of you might say, "That stuff doesn't matter as much as whether they're great performers or not." Uh...well...it kinda does. If you want your message to be taken seriously, and your message is the gospel of Christ, it would stand to reason that you'd do whatever necessary to put that above anything else you do.
Well, the Liberty Quartet does...and they did it again tonight in unusually rainy Fresno.
Opening for them tonight was a local quartet with a strong fan following, the Chordsmen. Now I've heard them sing better on other nights, but they always enjoy their singing, and their sets were enjoyable and seemed to satisfy their many fans in attendance.
When it came time for Liberty to sing, they opened with a trio of energetic songs, and the third, an arrangement of Daryl Williams' "Glory To God In The Highest", had the audience clapping hands and rocking in the pews. They segued into a pair of current songs from their current album, "The Journey", and lead singer Dan Gilbert and baritone Jordan Cragun(their newest member)really shone.
Cragun has been with the quartet for nearly a year now, and has demonstrated appreciable growth as a singer and stage personality. He is both a much improved singer and a more confident personality onstage. While not the musician his predecessor, Doran Ritchey(who I really missed tonight), was, nor not as great a part of the onstage interplay as Doran was(yet), he has clearly grown in his role and by all appearances tonight, is destined to continue to do so.
Gilbert, an old hand by now, is a confident and expressive lead singer whose technical acumen is a boon to the Liberty Quartet concert style. and he has great relatability to an audience, always keeping things "going" in a positive direction.
Tenor Keith Waggoner is a developing vocal talent whose onstage enthusiasm is infectious.He shone tonight on the uptempo numbers and also on the next-to-last song of the evening, "He Is". And in the tradition of such in-person gospel greats as the late London Parris and Harold Giley, seems to never meet a stranger, an important attribute for a messenger of the gospel of Christ.
But as always, the most recognizabe and defining presence in the Liberty Quartet belongs to manager and bass singer Royce Mitchell. Besides being one of the better bass singers going(capable of melodic leads as well as the occasional subwoofer shake), Mitchell is a relaxed emcee whose disingenuous sense of humor puts audiences at ease and shows that love of Christ which he has in abundance. His musical arranging is also quite distinctive and certainly underrated.
The second half of Liberty's program was led by Cathedral Quartet-inspired a cappella singing followed by a fine version of the Couriers' classic "Statue Of Liberty", a song they've added once again to their concert performances. Then Waggoner had a nice mini-aermon capped with the quartet singing "He Is", then wrapping up with a reprise of "Glory To God In The Highest", which again proved to be a "hit" with the audience.
The size of the audience was adequate...the large sanctuary seemed about two-thirds full(not bad in light of the unpredictable weather all week long...a factor in California)...and they were assuredly happy with what they saw.
The Liberty Quartet's program has changed a great deal from the last time I saw them in a concert setting...some of the more over-the-top humor has been replaced with more good songs. But the general approach of Royce as the main MC augmented by guest MC segments from the other group members remains intact.
But through it all, the Liberty Quartet proved tonight that good in-person gospel concert appearances are not just about singing. Liberty has always sung well, but they seem to pay particular attention to what songs they sing, and fashion their programs accordingly. They certainly don't "sit on their laurels", but constantly refine their presentation to better present their main message, which is the gospel of Christ. They've never been tied up in a stylistic rut musically(they've always featured a mix of classic quartet singing and a more modern approach), nor are they stuck in a performance rut, either.
The Liberty Quartet just keeps getting better at what they do every time I see and hear them. I have never heard them better than they were tonight. This constant improvement, both on record and on stage, is no doubt a big reason why they have finally been invited this year to be on the main stage at the National Quartet Convention(certainly an overdue invitation). And why not? After all, the NQC is allegedly there to present the very best in the southern-style gospel genre that there is...and now, the Liberty Quartet is certainly that.
And they're getting out now to more of the American continent than ever these days. I would suggest strongly that if you want to see good Christian music sung by a dedicated gospel quartet, then you NEED to check out the Liberty Quartet if you get the chance. They are better than they've ever been, and are among the genre's very best. If that's what you like, you would have enjoyed tonight's concert as much as I did!
By all means, DON'T miss them at this year's NQC!
Posted on Jan 23, 2010 - 02:08 AM | [5]
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Here's hoping . . . I'd love to meet you one of these days!
QM, what if they didn't? Should we call somebody?;-P)