Producer: Mike Bowling
Label: River Hill Music
Website: www.thebowlingsministries.com
Making up the group on this recording are husband and wife team Jeff and Kim Bowling along with Shelia Cornelius and her daughter Sarah. I would describe their sound as a fusion of the Crabb Family and Hoskins Family, so fans of those groups will probably love the Bowlings as they have a lot of energy in their sound. Produced by Jeff's brother, Mike Bowling, you can hear a lot of his influence on their sound as well.
“IT'S MINE THIS TIME” is a kicker written by Sandy Knight and leads perfectly into the jubilant, “WHEN HE SAYS ARISE”, penned by Gerald Crabb and Kyla Rowland. This song, though strangely reminiscent to the former Karen Peck & New River hit, “Four Days Late”, is a highlight of the recording. Things kick back into high gear with “BRAND NEW DAWNING” , which features Jeff, before moving on to the slower paced, “ONE MORE MIRACLE”, which features Kim. Reminding us of our blessings, this unassuming song is one of the highlights of the recording for me.
Mixing country with a hint of soul, the groups gets into the groove with a Gerald Crabb tune featuring Sarah entitled, “GETTING' READY TO GO”. Another song that falls into the same vein musically is the song, “CALL ON JESUS” , which features Kim.
“HE'S ALL I NEED”, which features the heartfelt vocals of Sheila Cornelius, is a wonderful song of reassurance written by Mike Bowling. Sheila also sings, “HE'LL MAKE A WAY” which is one of my favorite Gerald Crabb penned tunes. Though I am still partial to the Crabb Family's version of the song, the Bowlings do a good job here before moving on to the oft-recorded song, “WE'LL SEE CHRIST THE KING”. Though this arrangement is pretty similar to the other hundred times I have heard this song recorded by other groups, it just seems to fit the Bowlings better than anyone out there. Just when I thought I had heard enough of this song, the Bowlings come along with probably the best rendition. It seems that this song was made for the Bowlings.
Jeff turns in an excellent performance on “WHO WILL SURVIVE THE STORM?” which provides a more country version of the song, as opposed to the Isaacs bluegrass version and the Crabb Family's soulful version.
The lowest point on the recording for me comes on the final song entitled, “I NEED YOU NOW” . Written and originally sung by black gospel artist Smokie Norful and was recently featured on the Homecoming video, “Build a Bridge”, the Bowlings rendition pales in comparison as the song just doesn't fit the group. It is extremely pitchy and sounds way too forced to me.
With the exception of the final song, this is a very, very good recording. I was very impressed with the energy this group sings. Good song selection, excellent arrangements, way cool music tracks and solid vocals, make this a great recording by an excellent up and coming group.
Personal Favs: IT'S MINE THIS TIME; WHEN HE SAYS ARISE; BRAND NEW DAWNING; ONE MORE MIRACLE; HE'S ALL I NEED; WE'LL SEE CHRIST THE KING
Author: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Written: 01/01/2005
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Category: ReviewsCD Reviews
Comments: 4
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James, this is one of my all time favorite groups. I love each of them dearly. I first met them at an outdoor singing in Pennington Gap, VA. They blew me away with their vocals. At NQC this year, we had a blast with them. They are definitely GREAT friends of ours. We come to realize that not only could they sing the house down, they were exceptional individuals as well! I know this project will bless anyone who listens to it! My fav is #5 Gettin Ready To Go!!!!
I got this project a while back after hearing "When He Says Arise" on the radio. I've not been disappointed at all. These folks can forevermore sing. They each have a distinctive sound in the song they sing which distiguishes them from other groups. They are straight-forward Southern Gospel (which I love).
I personally think this is one of the best cd's i have ever had....its picked me up, its comforted me, and its carried me at times! i love this project and i consider Jeff, Kim, Shelia And Sarah some of the dearest of friends but had i never known them this would still be one of my favorites! Absolultey GREAT!
In my opinion, this is one of the best CD's I have ever heard. I think each and every song is great! God has surely anointed this group. I feel that He will use and bless each of them in a mighty way. They're AWESOME!
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