Reviews

CD Reviews

Promise – Wonders Never Cease

Producer: Eddie Howard
Label: Independent Release
Website: www.promiseministries.com

They say “Life is like a box of chocolates, because you never know what you're gonna get.” Well the same can be said for the music of Promise. Their music is a lot like a box of chocolates, because with each song, you just never know what you're going to get. This group, consisting of Jeanie Cameron, Larry Madden and Jean Sexton, has perfected the art of diversification and variety. You simply will not get bored with this recording. With it's varying tempos, soaring harmonies, stellar arrangements and diverse musical styles, this recording is one that many groups can only dream of. If there is such a thing as a perfect recording, this one must be it.

The recording starts off with the big band sounds of “I SHALL NOT BE MOVED” and it really showcases what this group can do and there are some really neat vocal licks found on this song. Moving on to a more soulful style with a blended medley of “GOD HAS BEEN SO GOOD TO ME” and “GOD'S BEEN GOOD” , the group shows a bit of color before moving on to the Joel Lindsey/Kevin Stokes penned Inspirational tune, “I NEVER NEEDED HIM MORE”, which features Jeanie Cameron. This is one of the true highlights of the recording and it should be the ultimate testimony for any believer.

The first single from this recording, “BROUGHT NIGH BY THE BLOOD” , written by a wonderful young writer named Bo Sullivan, is a very Southern Gospel sounding song with a great salvation message and it should do quite well for the group.

“SEEK AND SAVE”, which features Jean Sexton is a really cool song and shows the more progressive side of the group. I like how Jean, Larry and Jeanie take turns quoting scripture in the middle of the song about how the Lord came to seek and save those that are lost. It's a great song with some “new grass” overtones to it.

Larry Madden does a good job on the title song, “WONDERS NEVER CEASE” which was penned by Daryl Williams and then the group breaks into “SHOUTS OF JOY” , which is a choral sounding tune written by Joel Lindsey.

Done in the spirit of the Dottie Peoples classic “On Time God”, Jeanie sings, “YOU CAN'T HURRY MY GOD” before Jean steps up to sing the classic, “THE UNSEEN HAND” , which includes a bridge of the chorus of Mosie Lister's classic song, “His Hand in Mine.” A beautiful arrangement is used on this song.

Larry sings the fun little ditty, “NO WONDER I'M SO HAPPY” , before the group moves on to the power ballad “ALL FROM A CROSS”, which was penned by Sullivan, as was the final song, “BEAUTIFUL LAND” featuring Jeanie, which really shows off some beautiful harmonies.

I saved talking about the songs, “NOBODY ELSE LIKE YOU” (which features some really cool background vocals by the group) and “IF I WAS A TREE” for last because these two songs are worth the price of the CD. Former Andrae Crouch hits, Larry comes out of the closet and really shows his soulful side as he sings these two songs and the group performs them both flawlessly. The latter song has become my daughter's (who is 4 yrs old) favorite song. Every morning on the way to school, she jams to “If I Was a Tree”. It's a hoot watching her sing along with this song in the rear view mirror.

It is obvious from this recording, that Promise takes great pride in presenting something new and different with each song. They work hard to bring fresh and exciting arrangements and each song truly seems to be a labor of love. Another way the group brings about a unique sound with each song is their use of several different musicians throughout the recording. There are 18 different musicians utilized on here including Milton Smith, Mark Fain, Tim Parton, Tony Creasman, David Johnson, Mike Severs, Roger Fortner, Jeremy Medkiff, Danny Crawford and many others. This is one of, if not THE BEST recording released for 2005. If you're tired of the ‘same old, same old'…you need to get this recording; there is nothing ‘same old' about it.

Personal Favs: I SHALL NOT BE MOVED; I NEVER NEEDED HIM MORE; BROUGHT NIGH BY THE BLOOD, SEEK & SAVE; THE UNSEEN HAND; NO WONDER I'M SO HAPPY; NOBODY ELSE LIKE YOU; IF I WAS A TREE