The Greenes – “The Road Home” (1997)

After the immense success of their “And The Walls Came Down” live recording, the Greenes knew they had to do something unique to follow it up, and “The Road Home” was the perfect follow-up!  This was a very different recording for the Greenes, filled with some nice musical surprises, but yet it’s still very much within the Greenes’ wheelhouse!

With tracks produced by Roger Talley and vocals produced by Michael English and Art Bain (who also did a marvelous job handling string and brass arrangements), “The Road Home” was a bit edgier than their previous recordings had been, but still solidly “Greenes” music.  You can definitely hear Michael English’s influence throughout the recording, and I think “The Road Home” was on a different level than what a lot of Greenes fans were likely expecting and were used to hearing.  Taking bold musical steps can be tricky, and it’s a fine line between garnering new fans and trying not to alienate your current ones!  Another thing that made this recording unique was that, apart from 3 songs (which were older, classic tunes), Tim wrote all the songs on this recording (8 songs total), which was a first.  I’ve always said that Tim was a “heart” writer, and you definitely get to hear his heart in these songs.

The fun, upbeat tune, “Living it Up” kicks the recording off with its snappy, jazzy feel.  Featuring Milena and a popping brass section, it’s a highlight of the recording and from the “get go”, it lets the listener know they are in store for some surprises with this recording!  Looking back, I wonder how this song would have fared had it been released to radio?  It’s such a cool song and very different for the Greenes, and as one who loves to travel down the rabbit trail of “what if’s”, it’s something to wonder!

Slowing the pace down and having that classic Greenes feel, “When God Hears Alleluia” features Tony and Milena and showcases that wonderful Greenes harmony.  Tim wrote the song in collaboration with Lucy Hemingway, and I’ve always thought this would have been a great radio song.  Featuring a nice steel guitar driven track, it’s a rather unassuming tune, but sometimes those types of songs can surprise you in the charts, contrasting the driving upbeat tunes and power ballads and anthems in the charts by the other artists.  Speaking of radio songs, I’ve always felt that the next tune, “He’s Been a Long Time Coming” was a totally missed radio opportunity!  Featuring both Tony and Tim, with its strong beat and dobro and electric guitar ladened track, this up-tempo tune was such a fun song and a delightful concert favorite, it’s a wonder it was never released, as it would have offered a refreshing contrast to the steady stream of power ballads the Greenes released over the years.  Additionally, I believe that this would be a great song for somebody to bring back today and have some fun with!

Up next, Tim’s daughter, Brittany makes her recording debut with the tune, “He’s Not Finished With Me Yet”.  Joined by a kid’s choir of her friends, at just 6 years old, she sounds like a true professional!  As a side note, Brittany (and her husband) now sing and manage their own group called Declaration Worship, who does a remarkable job intertwining classic Greenes songs with modern day worship tunes. 

No recording by the Greenes would be complete without a power ballad, and the dramatic feel of “When the Cross Was Lifted High” fit the bill, and it would be the only song from this recording that would chart, just barely making it into the top 40, stalling out at #38 in the April 1998 Singing News chart.  The song features a strong orchestral track and leads perfectly into the jazz infused, “I’ve Never Felt Better”.  Featuring some jazzy electric guitar and piano highlights, it’s a fun and enjoyable tune and a highlight of the recording.

Tim is featured next on the touching, emotionally tinged ballad, “I Would Die For You”.  A deeply personal song for Tim, he wrote it in honor of his mother-in-law, who had just passed away from cancer, prior to the recording of this album.  It’s a beautiful tribute, and a highlight of the recording, as is the driving arrangement for the Dad Speer classic, “Heaven’s Jubilee”.  Featuring a popping brass section and a thumping bass track, with Tony taking the lead and Milena singing the second verse, the song is unlike any arrangement I’ve heard of the song (aside from the New Speer Family’s version from their 2018 recording, “A Singing Heritage”), and it totally kicks!  I love the energy of the music track, with the vocals matching that contagious energy perfectly!

Next, we come to the warm, easy-going feel of another classic, “I’m So Glad He Found Me”, in which Tim’s wife, Amy, joins the Greenes on the song, before Tony and Tim tackle the title track, “This Road Home”.  As they sing, “as I travel down this rocky path, don’t let me tire nor let me roam, just guide and direct me on this road Home”, the lyric is a prayerful declaration of faith and determination, leading perfectly into the final song, “Victory Was Won at Calvary”.  With simple piano accompaniment, this classic tune closes out the recording in a very simple, yet powerfully profound manner, and it really is the crowning jewel of the entire recording.  Featuring Milena (with a brief spoken portion by Tony), the song was written by Mr. Horace Mauldin (father to famed producers and orchestrators, Russell and Steve Mauldin), who also penned such great songs as “Swing Wide the Gates” (Inspirations) and “Payday Someday” (Hayes Family).  One little known fact about this particular version of the song, the Greenes’ version of “Victory Was Won at Calvary” was the final song played at Horace Mauldin’s funeral, as the family was walking out, with those in attendance singing along.

I saw the Greenes not long after this recording came out, and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing them stage several songs from this recording.  “The Road Home” was an “out of the box” recording for the Greenes, showcasing the Greenes in a unique way, and I thought it was a great recording.  The music and vocal arrangements were superb, and the production value was outstanding as well.  I think that bringing Michael English on board was a good call, allowing the Greenes to expand and stretch their horizons a bit, and yet still staying well within their style and sound, not going beyond their own capabilities.  To the best of my knowledge, the only song released as a single from the recording was the power anthem, “When the Cross Was Lifted High”.  The Greenes’ sugar stick had always been those big power ballads and anthems, but I think Southern Gospel radio may have been ready to hear the Greenes deliver something different, and “The Road Home” was the perfect opportunity to release something unique as a single, and there were some really great songs that never really got showcased.  Also, I think with Milena leaving the group later in the year, it inhibited any future opportunities that “The Road Home” may have had for radio singles.  Nonetheless, it was a great recording offering a different texture and feel for the Greenes.  In addition to releasing “The Road Home”, Tim also released his first solo album, “The Rocks Cry Out” in 1997, which included such songs as the hugely popular Bob Carlisle classic, “Butterfly Kisses”, along with the classic hymn, “My Jesus, I Love Thee”, as well as such Tim Greene penned tunes as “The Rocks Cry Out”, “Doesn’t Anyone Love Jesus Anymore” and “The Cross Still Stands”.

As already noted, “The Road Home” would be the final mainline recording for Milena Parks, as she departed the Greenes in November 1997, but not before recording one last album, “A Family Christmas”, which was released just in time for the 1997 National Quartet Convention.  After leaving the Greenes, Milena joined the Mike Speck Trio, where she enjoyed a bit more of a relaxed schedule, as she transitioned from the concert stages across the country, to mostly singing in large and smaller churches, leading choir clinics and worship services.  She recorded a couple of albums with the group, including the highly acclaimed choral project, “Testify”, which was released in 1998.  Milena would remain with Mike Speck for about 4 years (I was blessed to see them a couple of times during her tenure with the group, and they were fantastic!) and she would eventually come off the road full-time to raise a family.  Milena is still singing today, as she sings on the worship team at First Baptist Atlanta.

As the Greenes began their search for a new female vocalist, a young 18-year-old named TaRanda Kiser, was waiting in the wings who had never even heard of the Greenes.  TaRanda would make her mark with the Greenes in more ways than one, and she would ultimately become the final female the Greenes would hire to sing the soprano part.  For those that don’t know the story, I’ll keep you in suspense until my next article!

That said, I’ll be taking a hiatus from posting as I’ll be recovering from surgery.  I hope to be back in a couple of weeks!  Your prayers are deeply appreciated during this time!  Thank you everyone!!

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