Search - Gaither Vocal Band :: Everything Good

Wonderful CD

Gary Bisaga | Leesburg, VA USA | 03/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I acquired this CD entirely by accident - I bought the Gaither bluegrass gospel DVDs and this CD came packaged with them. I have never been a big fan of Gaithers; so many of their songs seem trite and sappy when you look at them on paper. I was not real thrilled at first with the non-bluegrass CDs they included, but decided to give them a whirl in the player anyway.



I was floored. From the very first notes of this CD, you are completely drawn into the music. What appears trite on paper is absolutely breath-taking when you hear it done by committed Christian singers like them. I now start to understand why so many people are fans of the Gaithers.



I thought that, contrary to the reviewer who was disappointed in David Phelps' appearances, Phelps did figure prominently in songs like "Alpha and Omega." I especially liked Russ Taff's singing in "Heartbreak Ridge and New Hope Road." Of course, seeing the Australian Homecoming video (which uses primarily the songs from Everything Good) helps since Russ explains how the song references his own life. And, of course, the a capella "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go" is absolutely spine-tingling. It makes you want more a capella singing from the band. (If you feel this way, I urge you to buy the Gaither Band's CD "A Capella".)



Is the CD perfect? Of course not. I do agree with the reviewer who mentioned the mixing problems, especially the bass guitar. As a bass player myself, I didn't like the bass line choices made in some songs; especially over-using the low string of his five-string bass. And I agree that in "O Love," when Bill sings the solo line it doesn't even sound like him - it almost sounds like he was put through a flanger. :-)



But, please don't let these small problems dissuade you from buying this excellent CD. I'm not familiar enough with Gaither CDs to say whether this is one of their best or one of their more ordinary ones; but I can say if this is one of their ordinary productions, I can't even imagine what their excellent ones would be like. Buy it!"

Everything (Just) Good - Except Two Songs, Which Are Great

sam--i--am | Fairfax, VA USA | 01/10/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Gaither Vocal Band continues to be (arguably) the best men's gospel quartet recording today. This recording is the first since Russ Taff replaced Mark Lowry as the group's baritone.The theme of this recording seems to be our faithful response to the faithfulness of God. Several songs talk about heaven - the final demonstration of God's faithfulness (Alpha and Omega, Knowing You'll Be There, When He Talked About His Home). Another group of songs discuss how God comes through, redeeming us when we are at our end (Heartbreak Ridge, When The Rains Come, He Came Through). While the last CD released before this one (I Do Believe) dealt with trusting God in the midst of the hard times, this offering seems to be more settled and resolved, on the other side of the struggle of faith. The message is clear and encouraging. However, I must say that this recording is not one of the groups best.There are no really bad songs on the recording, but there are few that are really great, either in terms of the power of the message or the musical content. In fact, on the scale of bad to great, I'd give most everything on the recording a rating of "good". The exceptions are two songs that are (in my opinion) great. The first (O Love That Will Not Let Me Go) demonstrates the beauty of four-part accapella harmony on a rich, classic hymn. The second (He Came Through) gives new baritone Russ Taff a chance to show what his ability to interpret soulful songs will add to the group.My advice is this: For those who are new to the GVB, this should not be your first purchase. Try "God is Good" or "I Do Believe" for a recent recording that is superb. However, if you have most everything the GVB has put out recently, don't hesitate to buy this one. You will find a lot of good songs, and a theme of being faithful to a faithful God."

The Greatest Vocal Band album ever!

chris stack | usa | 08/23/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I never really cared for the vocal band untill I heard this album. Russ Taff is by far the greatest gospel singer ever.He can do any style and do it well.Someone wrote in claiming that the band had taken a step backward, I could not disagree more.This cd has become my son's favorite cd and mine too. Long Live the vocal band."