A couple of month ago, I was browsing through the Family Christian website. I was specifically looking for a cappella music. I prefer a cappella music for guiding my thoughts and, also, if it is a good group – they have amazing vocal abilities. I attend a church that uses only a cappella music for worship because we follow a first century church model. That simply means we follow the examples set forth in the New Testament, in the Bible.
So, I stumbled across a number of CDs that, while they came up under an a cappella search term, were obviously not actually a cappella. They had a single piece on the album, perhaps, that was without instruments. Or, most commonly, they had a few measures of introduction that was a cappella and it was in the description so it came up under the search term. I didn’t find the group that I expected to but I did come across these three CDs that I’m going to share with you.
Gaither Vocal Band: a cappella
The Gaither Vocal Band is renown for their wonderful harmonies. Their album a cappella is full of a mixture of fun, pleasant songs. There are some good, old southern spirituals. There are some traditional hymns. There are some patriotic tunes. It is a nice combination. Most of the songs I knew before but there were a couple I didn’t know and really enjoyed. One of these new ones is called “Low Down The Chariot.” It is a pleasant song, reminding me of southern spirituals.
This is a disc that I have really enjoyed having. I really enjoy listening to music that has rich, full harmonies that are well-blended. The Gaither Vocal Band has done a lovely job with this disc. The harmonies are so well-done that I find myself just enjoying the enveloping sound and listening intently to the words. For me, this indicates a very well-done disc that will add much joy to my listening times.
The Martins: A Cappella
The Martins are a trio of siblings that sing together. They have a very sweet dedication and story in the liner notes for their disc about how they came about singing a cappella. It made me smile – a mom can make a lot of difference in the direction a child’s life ends up going and this is a good example of that. This disc is a collection of hymns, spirituals, and other inspirational pieces. It is an interesting blend of styles and that combination keeps it moving and interesting.
The Martins A Cappella is a lovely album full of heartfelt singing that draws you in. The harmonies that the Martins achieve are unusual but in a very good way. Their harmonies are strong and beautiful. You do not get the straight chords that you expect in a trio. You get a variety of chords and combinations. It is charming, haunting, pleasing, and I can’t seem to stop listening. I have really enjoyed this disc, the songs I didn’t know before, and the beautiful melodies and harmonies the Martins create.
Committed: Committed
This disc was highly disappointing to me. I expected to be getting a Christian CD. Most of this disc is love songs. Not at all what I was looking for and led to think it was. I honestly listened to this disc once so that I truly knew what was on it but I did not really enjoy it.
I think Committed has good harmonies. I believe they are a very talented group because you hear tidbits of it in some of the songs. However, it is hidden with all of the a cappella creation of instruments. The use of voices to create drums and cymbals is not appealing to me. It feels like the songs have had a heavy hand at electronic mixing and editing, as well. It covers the beautiful songs and hides their voices. Between the editing/electronic mixing and this being mostly love songs, this was a totally bust for me and I am highly disappointed in this disc.
Overall, it was fun for me to get to pick through CDs looking for some really good, inspirational a cappella music from Family Christian. They have a lot of music to offer. A lot of it is instrumental in nature. Also, a lot of it seems to not be available in store but I found my local store to be extremely helpful with ordering the discs for me and letting me know when they arrived. If you are looking for a new CD or two, I would suggest taking a look at Gaither Vocal Band and The Martins. I truly have enjoyed both of these offerings from Family Christian.
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Tagged: Family Christian, music, reviews
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