Customer Reviews

Everything Good

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I acquired this CD entirely by accident - I bought the Gaither bluegrass gospel DVDs and this CD came packaged with them. I have never been a big fan of Gaithers; so many of their songs seem trite and sappy when you look at them on paper. I was not real thrilled at first with the non-bluegrass CDs they included, but decided to give them a whirl in the player anyway.

I was floored. From the very first notes of this CD, you are completely drawn into the music. What appears trite on paper is absolutely breath-taking when you hear it done by committed Christian singers like them. I now start to understand why so many people are fans of the Gaithers.

I thought that, contrary to the reviewer who was disappointed in David Phelps' appearances, Phelps did figure prominently in songs like "Alpha and Omega." I especially liked Russ Taff's singing in "Heartbreak Ridge and New Hope Road." Of course, seeing the Australian Homecoming video (which uses primarily the songs from Everything Good) helps since Russ explains how the song references his own life. And, of course, the a capella "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go" is absolutely spine-tingling. It makes you want more a capella singing from the band. (If you feel this way, I urge you to buy the Gaither Band's CD "A Capella".)

Is the CD perfect? Of course not. I do agree with the reviewer who mentioned the mixing problems, especially the bass guitar. As a bass player myself, I didn't like the bass line choices made in some songs; especially over-using the low string of his five-string bass. And I agree that in "O Love," when Bill sings the solo line it doesn't even sound like him - it almost sounds like he was put through a flanger. :-)

But, please don't let these small problems dissuade you from buying this excellent CD. I'm not familiar enough with Gaither CDs to say whether this is one of their best or one of their more ordinary ones; but I can say if this is one of their ordinary productions, I can't even imagine what their excellent ones would be like. Buy it!

The Gaither Vocal Band continues to be (arguably) the best men's gospel quartet recording today. This recording is the first since Russ Taff replaced Mark Lowry as the group's baritone.

The theme of this recording seems to be our faithful response to the faithfulness of God. Several songs talk about heaven - the final demonstration of God's faithfulness (Alpha and Omega, Knowing You'll Be There, When He Talked About His Home). Another group of songs discuss how God comes through, redeeming us when we are at our end (Heartbreak Ridge, When The Rains Come, He Came Through). While the last CD released before this one (I Do Believe) dealt with trusting God in the midst of the hard times, this offering seems to be more settled and resolved, on the other side of the struggle of faith. The message is clear and encouraging. However, I must say that this recording is not one of the groups best.

There are no really bad songs on the recording, but there are few that are really great, either in terms of the power of the message or the musical content. In fact, on the scale of bad to great, I'd give most everything on the recording a rating of "good". The exceptions are two songs that are (in my opinion) great. The first (O Love That Will Not Let Me Go) demonstrates the beauty of four-part accapella harmony on a rich, classic hymn. The second (He Came Through) gives new baritone Russ Taff a chance to show what his ability to interpret soulful songs will add to the group.

My advice is this: For those who are new to the GVB, this should not be your first purchase. Try "God is Good" or "I Do Believe" for a recent recording that is superb. However, if you have most everything the GVB has put out recently, don't hesitate to buy this one. You will find a lot of good songs, and a theme of being faithful to a faithful God.

I have only been listening to Southern Gospel music for about two years. In that time, I have not left home without this CD. At the age of 46, I went back to school for two years to complete my ambulance education to become a paramedic. The music on this CD got me over some major tough times with school. The song "Not Gonna Worry" became my theme song. Each day, before and after each exam, I would listen to and sing along with this song for the inspiration, knowing that I was not in school for my own purpose. I have e-mailed the words of this song to another EMT who is struggling with paramedic school. She now is using this song as her education theme song.
I do not have a lot of listening education in Southern Gospel music, but this CD ALWAYS makes me sing and raise my hands to God with an excitement for life. Now it is my theme song in my career. Each time I get an ambulance call, I hum/think about this song, because again, I need the inspiration to do a God-inspired work for my patients. Thank you, GVB, for being part of my education and career.

I never really cared for the vocal band untill I heard this album. Russ Taff is by far the greatest gospel singer ever.He can do any style and do it well.Someone wrote in claiming that the band had taken a step backward, I could not disagree more.This cd has become my son's favorite cd and mine too. Long Live the vocal band.

I am a die-hard GVB fan. There are two things on this CD which make it worse than the previous ones. First, Russ Taff is quite a drop-off on baritone from Mark Lowry. Mark Lowry was SMOOTH, and really complemented Guy P. & David P., while Taff, well, he's too...rough.
The second is the conversion of David Phelps from soul-full and rich to contemperary and light. To be sure, the man still sings like no one else, but he's not as powerful a voice as he used to be.
That withstanding, this is a great CD, because there are some fantastic songs. "I'm gonna sing" is just great. So are 'Alpha & Omega,' 'Everything Good,' and a few others. "oh love that will not let me go" is perfect.
There are a few songs on this CD that are horrible.

There are two things I associate with the Gaither Vocal Band that this album continues to put forward--powerful vocals and optimistic music. What I generally don't expect are arrangements that leave the voices exposed. The instruments usually are key to the GVB's sound, and sometimes oppressively so. This album, however, breaks that mold more than a few times, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Most obvious is David Phelps's a cappella arrangement of "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go." (Hey, Bill, how about an a cappella album?) There are other moments, too, that prove the GVB to be more than a studio concoction, but a real quartet that must be regarded with the greatest ever in Gospel music. Time will certainly make that judgment more clear.

One other aspect makes this project unique. While the GVB has always been good at Gospel, it has not had obvious soul since the departure of Michael English. While I don't mean to suggest that the group has suffered without English, I will suggest that whatever was lost--heartsy, passionate soul--is back again with the arrival of Russ Taff. This soul is most obvious in the former Taff tune, "He Came Though." This is a quality of music I never dreamed I would hear from the Vocal Band again.

Easily, the best Gospel album of the year. Don't miss it.

This is the best cd that the Gaither Vocal Band has ever recorded
as of this date. All the songs are different, there is something
for everyone. Foot stomping, hand clapping, slow and spiritual.
Take your pick. The harmony and blend of the voices is incredible, and the accapella number shows just how good their voices are. If you are a fan of the GVB, this is the cd to get, you will love it.

For some reason, the review I posted on this CD on 8/14/02 has been deleted.

This CD is one of the most awesome, God-inspired, soul-stirring CD's I have ever heard in my life. The style varies from song to song, which only enhances the CD as far as I'm concerned. Some of the songs have a country and western feel, some have a contemporary feel, some sound southern gospel, and then there is one that even sounds like something from the Big Band era.

I love this CD and wouldn't take anything for it. I would personally like to thank the GVB for recording such a great CD.

I loved the newest project from the Gaither Vocal Band. Everything Good! The only thing that could have made it any better would have been to have heard more of David Phelps. What an incredible voice! Russ Taff is doing an outstanding job with the group. And Guy Penrod was wonderful, as he always is. This project is so different from I Do Believe, but prooves once again how these 4 talented men can come together to create something that touches so many lives.

I received my copy of the CD "Everything Good" yesterday. It is a phenomenal collection of music. The harmonies are so close. There are more songs which feature Russ Taff, but he has a beautiful voice and sings for the Lord, and I have to say I enjoyed each and every one of his featured leading parts. The musical style differs, I believe, from their other projects. It seems to span a range of styles and I truly believe it is one of the finest CD's I've ever heard.