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Songs:
I'll Keep On Sailing
The Only Thing That Matters
The Man Upstairs
God Is Watching Over Me
Listen to the Bells
The Right Hand of Fellowship
Safe With You At Home
We Need the Light
Gonna Row My Boat
Is That the Bells of Heaven
Heaven's Not So Far Away
I Am Glad
Great White Angel
Just Over in Heaven

SUG-CD 3911
Sugar Hill Records
P.O. Box 55300
Durham, NC 27717

Anyone who heard Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver at Grass Valley in June knows that these guys are phenomenal gospel singers. Their four-part arrangements are inventive and perfectly delivered, with the harmony parts continually bouncing around the lead. As the promo notes point out "the harmonies don't run parallel but keep trading places, sometimes shadowing the lead, sometimes answering it".

This is Doyle Lawson's 11th gospel album, and it truly showcases their versatility. If you like good bluegrass gospel, it doesn't get much better than this.

The album is a mix of gospel standards and originals, fast and slow pacing, and sparse and full instrumentation. Doyle Lawson is famous for being the "farm team" of bluegrass - his band members rarely stay more than a couple years before they leave to form the next hot group (Mountain Heart is the latest band of "defectors" to hit the charts). But the current lineup is extremely good, and their harmonies are excellent. No flashy solos, just good singing.

"I'll Keep on Sailing" is a straight-ahead, medium tempo bluegrass gospel and band original with some neat give-and-take harmony parts. "The Only Thing That Matters" is a slower, more country-ish gospel song written by guitarist Barry Scott, and "The Man Upstairs" has a swingy, barbershop quartet feel to it.

"God Is Watching Over Me" is a Lawson-original that returns to the medium-tempo bluegrass tradition, and "Listen to the Bells" is an acapella, "glee club" quartet piece complete with vocal bell sounds. "The Right Hand of Fellowship" is another straight-ahead Larry Cordle song, and "Safe With You At Home" slows things down again.

"We Need the Light" is another superb acapella song that demostrates why these guys are so popular on Sunday morning, and "Gonna Row My Boat" has a similar vocal arrangement with a standard bluegrass backup. "Is That the Bells of Heaven" is a slower gospel ballad, and "Heaven's Not So Far Away" is another band original with a bouncy feel.

"I Am Glad" is one more foray into acapella , and "Great White Angel" another standard. They round out the CD with "Just Over in Heaven," the perfect into-the-sunset piece that has all those bouncy harmony pieces.

I really enjoy good gospel bluegrass but tend to want it in small doses. Usually I find that an all-gospel album tends to get tedious after a few songs. Not so with this album - they intermix slow, up-tempo, and acapella arrangements in a way that keeps it interesting. In my opinion these guys are the undisputed champions of tight bluegrass gospel, and I hope Doyle does #12 soon. Expect this to be a contender for IBMA Best Gospel Album. Congratulations!