One of the best bluegrass gospel albums I've listened to
08/20/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Country Gentlemen do a remarkable job on this album. The vocal harmony is superb. I highly recommend this album to bluegrass music lovers or gospel music lovers."
A "MUST HAVE" for those who love Bluegrass Gospel
07/19/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album marks the beginning of Doyle Lawson's expertise that set the standard for gospel music in the bluegrass style. "A Place Prepared For Me" is a just one example on this album of the things to come from Doyle Lawson's new venture with his own band, Quicksilver."
The standards by which others follow.
03/28/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This project, along with "The Model Church" from JD Crowe (who had a little known tenor by the name of Doyle Lawson), set the standard for bluegrass gospel projects. The harmony, the message, the total package of bluegrass gospel. My only complaint: not enough tracks."
Perfect Bluegrass Gospel
H. F. Corbin | ATLANTA, GA USA | 06/03/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Recorded in 1976 and 1977 by the Country Gentleman "Calling My Children Home" is as good as bluegrass gospel gets. There is not a second rate song on this collection. While it is indeed difficult to pick out a favorite, certainly the title song is quite wonderful. Written by Charlie Waller, who usually sings lead local on this album, and sung a capella, "Calling My Children Home" is a sentimental song about a mother who longs for her children who have all moved far away from her-- so technically it is not a gospel song. By the way, the a capella men's group Chanticleer sings this number of their CD "Our American Journey" and raises it to high art. "He shouted as he traveled, "deliverance has come" from "Palms of Victory" will put chills on your spine or make your eyes burn or both. If you are looking for nostalgia, there is "Where No Cabins Fall."
At the time of this recording the group was composed of Charlie Waller, who passed away in 2004; Doyle Lawson who went on to form the group "Quicksilver," which is noted for its gospel recordings, and who may just as likely show up these days as a guest on the radio show "A Prairie Home Companion" as in a singing in a high school auditorium in East Tennessee-- Bill Yates and James Bailey. The Gentlemen are quite good at singing different parts and playing different instruments.Both Lawson on mandolin and Bailey on banjo are outstanding.
These songs harken back to a former simpler time in the rural South-- at least we thought it was simpler-- when life could be hard. Men and women worked in the mills, furniture factories or perhaps raised a tobacco crop during the week and went to church on Sundays and sang these songs or similar ones from a Stamps-Baxter songbook-- a Broadman Hymnal was as alien as the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. They sang about heaven and streets of gold: "In the great beyond over in the land of Eden," "When I step inside the gate," and "Lord, I'm ready to go home."
This CD gets better with each listening. As my brother would say about this group's ability, "they sound so smooth." I couldn't say it better.
"
On a scale of 1 to 10, This CD is a 27!!!
BLPike@aol.com | Newburgh, IN | 01/07/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When it comes to bluegrass or bluegrass/gospel, few can compete with the Country Gentlemen. And when it comes to the Country Gents, few of thier personnel lineups can match the awesome vocal/musicianship talents of Waller/Lawson/Emerson/Yates. This CD, along with the "Award Winning" project featuring the same roster are MUSTS for any fan of bluegrass or bluegrass/gospel."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
