Customer Reviews

Under Their Influence

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This cd is a great collection of his music and done very eloquently. I own it and love every song on it. I highly recommend this cd to anyone who enjoys Russ Taff's voice. He has such a special gift in sharing his heart through his music.

In "Under Their Influence", Russ Taff provides brilliant modern interpretations of diverse traditional spiritual songs. In the album credits, Russ suggests that his mother and her sisters "sang from a place few singers ever find - a place deep within, filled with power and conviction." Not ever having heard the Johnson Sisters, i can only say that this is a statement that i would unhesitatingly apply to Russ Taff himself.

The album's guest vocalists (including Bonnie Keen, Ashley Cleveland, and Greg and Becca Sparks) are accomplished in their own right, and the instrumentalists, led by James Hollihan Jr., are tight and perfectly mixed. Jackie Streets' bass guitar work is particularly worth cranking up loud on a stereo with good low-end response.

High points on the album are the pounding gospel/soul groove and lyrical introspection of "Search Me Lord", the power vocals and stirring content of "There's a Hand", and the roaring guitars and joyful exuberance of "Ain't No Grave", which ends up being somewhere between bluegrass, blues, and hard rock. (The last of these should not be confused with the pale imitation on his earlier album "The Way Home". I intend to have this version played at my funeral!)

The only reason i don't give this 5 out of 5 is that it's a little too diverse, and the more country-style tracks (particularly "Life's Railway to Heaven" and "Everybody Shoulda Really Oughta Been There") grated on my ears.

(Aside to web site editors: It would be great if Russ Taff's name could be added to the title of this product page so that it is correctly recognised when people use Amazon search.)

Russ Taff / Under Their Influence
Label: Myrrh
Year: 1991


Track Title
1. God Don't Never Change
2. Search Me Lord
3. God's Unchanging Hand
4. Life's Railway To Heaven
5. Were You There?
6. As An Eagle Stirreth Her Nest
7. Just Believe
8. Everybody Shoulda Really Oughta Been There
9. There's A Hand
10. Ain't No Grave

If you love Russ's voice you will love this. It is a salute to the music to the church music I grew up with. "Ain't No Grave" is my favorite! Old time favorites!