The Shireys are a family group made up of husband and wife Wayne & Darlene Shirey and their two daughters, Victoria and Rachael. I've always felt that family groups have some of the best blends given their similar vocal qualities, and the Shireys are no exception.
The first thing that should be noted about "The Missing Piece" is that 9 of the 11 songs on this project are originals written by group members. That's not necessarily anything new in itself, but these compositions are all surprisingly strong. That's quite a testament, especially considering that most of them were written by daughter Victoria.
Such accomplishments include "Greatly To Be Praised," a bouncy uptempo number that takes me back to my pentecostal roots, and the touching "Knock On Heaven's Door For You," which is very well-written and performed. For fans of the straight-forward southern gospel sound, "Just Any Day Now" fits the bill nicely with tight, full harmonies. "I'm Telling You" is a nice ballad with a beautiful vocal performance, especially on the ending.
The only downfall to this project is the production, which is why I have given this project a 3 1/2 star rating. The mix varies a bit from track to track, and the vocals are often muffled by the music tracks. The overall mix sounds a bit flat and raw ("I'm Gonna Rise" in particular actually sounds like a bad analog transfer). Perhaps a stronger mastering would fix this somewhat, but to the Shireys' credit, they are able to still carry this album and just about overcome this technical flaw. Given a larger production budget, I am confident that they could easily rival most groups today.
There is often a temptation for family groups to give members a spotlight that shouldn't really be permitted, but gladly, this is not the case with the Shireys. Each member is a more-than-able vocalist, and they stay within their ranges nicely, complimenting each other well. There's no doubt that the Shireys are a talented family, and "The Missing Piece" is a great representation of this.
Author: Kyle Boreing
| Author's Website: http://www.kyleboreing.com
Written: 03/03/2009
| 
Category: CD Reviews
Comments: 0
RSS Feed
| (What's an RSS feed?)
|
Ads Sponsored by Southern Spin
