CD Review: Jordan Family Band – Joshua 24:15

by | Feb 28, 2017 | CD Reviews, Reviews

Label: Skyland Records
Producer: Jeremy Medkiff
Songs: Our Time To Shine; I’ve Got You Covered; Better Than I Used To Be; The Day; It’s a Big Big World (But I’ve Got A Big Big God); My God Is Faithful; I Miss Them All; How Much The More; Joshua 24:15; Remember The Ember; Heart Healer
Rating: 3 1/2 Stars

The three sons (Hutch, Alex, and Grant) of Joshua and Randa Jordan caught the singing bug in 2009 after purchasing an Inspirations CD. Fast forward eight years, and the family is releasing a CD on the Skyland Records label, a sister-label to Horizon Records where the Inspirations call home.

Joshua 24:15 includes eleven tracks all written by father/husband Joshua Jordan. He is joined by Phil Cross for a co-write on “It’s A Big Big World (But I’ve Got A Big Big God)” and “Remember The Ember.” Mother/wife Randa and producer Jeremy Medkiff are co-writers on the CD’s final track, “Heart Healer.”

I often read a CD’s liner notes before I listen to the songs, and that was the case with this particular CD. Sometimes you’ll pick up on some inside humor. The youngest son, 10-year-old Grant, is listed as the bus driver, for example. I was disappointed to see a list of 15 studio musicians creating all the music for a group billing themselves as a “family band,” however. At least, it appeared to be 15 studio musicians at first count. I soon realized two names were listed twice, and one of the musicians is indeed a group member. So, OK, there were 12 non-group members involved. At least the tracks should be top-notch, even if I was expecting more of an in-house, Akins type of approach to the recording process.

After taking a listen, I can report that the tracks are indeed quite good. Joshua Jordan’s songwriting is also solid with some lyrics more appealing than others. I’m guessing the principal singer on “Better Than I Used To Be” and “I Miss Them All” is Joshua, though it could be the oldest son, Hutch. In either case, there’s a sincere country quality in his voice that effectively communicates the message in the lyric. The majority of the melodies are carried by Randa who has an appealing alto tone. The two tracks I mentioned (that I suspect feature Joshua) along with “How Much The More” featuring Randa are the most memorable performances on Joshua 24:15.

The title track is a simple worship song mostly sung by one of the younger sons. In this and other songs that feature the younger sons, I can hear potential for future years when their voices develop and they are capable of generating more mature tones. The older son, Hutch, is most likely the singer on “Remember The Ember.” If so, he’s well on his way.

My rating for this CD is 3 1/2 Stars. Understand, though I mentioned the use of studio musicians due to the group’s name including the word “band,” I did not deduct anything from the star rating for that reason. Practically every CD in this genre features studio players, so it would be unfair to reduce the rating. I would just observe that it would be more accurate to brand this group as the Jordan Family, since only one group member is actually playing an instrument on this recording. Joshua 24:15 is certainly worth checking out, especially if you’re more inclined to listen to mixed groups than all-male or all-female groups.

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David Bruce Murray

David Bruce Murray

David Bruce Murray is a church music director in Ellenboro, NC. He is the author of Murray's Encyclopedia Of Southern Gospel Music and the owner of both SGHistory.com and MusicScribe.com.

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