CD Reviews

The John Hagee Family - We Believe

Label: Cathedral Records
Producer: Roger Talley
Website: http://www.johnhageefamily.com or http://www.cathedralrecords.com
Song Titles: "Blessed Be The Name," "He Could See The Cross," "But Still You Died," "Just A Little Talk," "Longing For Jesus," "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," "I Believe In The Blood," "The King And I," "I'm Free," "I'll Fly Away," "The Love Of God," and "Yes I Know"

You've probably already heard most of the tunes on The John Hagee Family 's latest CD, We Believe . I recognized nine of the twelve. It's not completely predictable, though. "Just A Little Talk" adds a guest bass singer you might not expect . . . it's Randy Travis . Although Travis sounds right at home in this bluesy arrangement, the Hagee Family seems to be a bit uncomfortable with that style. Still, it keeps the arrangement from being just a basic rehashing of the old standard. "Longing For Jesus" begins with a 1949 recording of John Hagee singing at the age of 9. This is followed immediately by the 64 year old Hagee's voice, for an interesting contrast. "I'll Fly Away" has been given a updated treatment. The remaining classic tunes offer nothing new in terms of performance or musical style. The quality is generally good, though.

The four more recently written tunes on this CD are "Blessed Be The Name," "He Could See The Cross," "But Still You Died," and "I Believe In The Blood." I know "Blessed Be The Name" has been recorded previously, but I'm not sure about the other three. "He Could See The Cross" includes two lines from "When He Was On The Cross" that are uncredited in the liner notes. "But Still You Died" is an excellent Joel Lindsey / Sue C. Smith lyric that's delivered well. "I Believe In The Blood" includes a Hagee recitation.

A bit more guidance in terms of song selection and emphasizing stylistic strengths would have taken this recording up another notch. Most tracks like "Blessed Be The Name" are solid, but three or four don't come up to the same standard of quality. This group has the talent to produce four star material, but this CD isn't quite there.