Audio Review: The Wisecarvers, Three Bridges, Darrell & Dawn Ritchie

by | Oct 23, 2018 | CD Reviews, Reviews

With a few new duties and hours added to my work week recently, I’ve been running behind on CD reviews since returning from the 2018 National Quartet Convention. To catch up, I’m just going to publish ratings along with some brief observations for three releases that have been languishing on the “to do” list. If you’re a fan of any of these groups, please respond with your thoughts in the comments!

Silhouette by The Wisecarvers
Silhouette mixes a 1990s-era pop sound with traditional instrumentation. There’s a noticeable Michael English influence on the lead singer’s vocals. The harmonica was a nice touch on the only cover song, “Amazing Grace.” In the future, I hope the Wisecarvers will consider singing songs written by writers outside the group. It’s not that their own songs are bad, but a greater variety of input on their lyrics could potentially make the overall product better.

Producer: Jeff Collins
Label: Skyland Records
Song Titles: Begin With You; Jesus To Me; Best Of Forever; When You Look At Me; Silhouette; You Have My Attention; Go Down Again; Manufactured Smiles; Love You Still; Someone Else’s Valley; Potter’s Wheel; Amazing Grace
Rating: 3 1/2 Stars (1-5 Stars)
Release Date: September 28, 2018


Our Story by Three Bridges

Shannon Smith, Jeremie Hudson, and Elliott McCoy continue to create memorable performances with a touch of soul. “Good News Never Gets Old” is a winner for those who prefer upbeat tracks, while the top ballad on Our Story is “Live The Gospel.”

Producer: Tre’ Corley
Label: Sonlite Records
Song Titles: Count It Victory; Down The Road To Damascus; My Story; Good News Never Gets Old; Like Jesus Did; Faith Shines Brighter; Live The Gospel; God Did It; Nothing But; Gonna Keep Livin; The King Of Love My Shepherd Is
Rating: 4 1/2 Stars (1-5 Stars)
Release Date: September 28, 2018


Beautiful Glorious by Darrell & Dawn Ritchie

Darrell & Dawn Ritchie consistently provide a healthy mix of new songs they’ve written and creative covers. The title track in particular is very well-written and sticks in my head for a while after I’ve listened to it. Other highlights include the bluegrass track “Hard To Sing The Blues” and of course, no Darrell & Dawn CD would be complete without a soul inspiring song like Lawrence Campbell’s “When I Go Away.” It was also nice to hear “When It’s All Been Said And Done” after all these years.

Producer: Brent Rader
Song Titles: Grace Like Rain; Beautiful Glorious; A Place Called Healed; White As Snow/Nothing But The Blood; Hard To Sing The Blues; He Will Not Let You Fall; When I Go Away; Do What You Can (About Love); Walk This World; Too Far Gone; When It’s All Been Said And Done
Rating: 4 Stars (1-5 Stars)

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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.

1 Comment

  1. Dustin Wisecarver

    Thanks for the review literally just purchased a truck in Ellenboro, small world! God bless!

    Reply

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