Category: Albums

Fierce Heart – Fierce Heart – 1985

Fierce Heart was Rex Carroll’s first published band. Rex was already 24 years old by the time this album came out and while he says he was a late bloomer I think that extra time until being recorded allowed his guitar playing to bloom. The whole idea of Fierce Heart was courtesy of Atlantic records though Rex did have a strong hand in picking the band. Jim Delehant & Chris Lord-Alge produced the album and they knew what they were doing which makes this a very well produced album. The album didn’t really catch which I find surprising considering how good it is but I suspect that there were probably rumours of Rex’s faith and we all know that in main stream music that is the kiss of death. Personally I think “Never Gonna Make Me Cry” is as good as anything else in this genre for the era and it should have singled on secular radio but I suspect it was never sent to the radio stations for consideration. Rex actually said both the band and the record company they knew the album cover was garbage but in typical music industry ways of the day it never got changed and it really is horrible. Rex authorized a re-release of the album and this jumped the band back into existence and Rex cut a new album using the band name, though with all new members, in 2020.

Tracklist
1 – Echoes – 1:34
2 – Fierce Heart – 3:45
3 – Out For Blood – 4:04
4 – Lion’s Share – 3:30
5 – Search And Destroy – 4:30
6 – Heroes – 3:55
7 – Never Gonna Make Me Cry – 4:05
8 – Bad Maureen – 4:15
9 – Loose Lips – 4:15

Credits
Choir, Engineer [Production Assistant] – Tom Lord-Alge
Cover – Marshall Arisman
Drums, Programmed By [Fairlight Programming], Producer, Engineer, Choir – Chris Lord-Alge
Engineer [Assistant] – Cathy Gazzo
Guitar, Choir – Rex Carroll
Management – John Doumanian
Mastered By – Dennis King
Producer, Choir – Jim Delehant
Vocals, Bass, Choir – Larry Elkins

Companies, etc.
Published By – Fierce Heart Music
Published By – Girder Music
Published By – Robbin Rae Music
Published By – Green Mirage Music
Distributed By – Atlantic Recording Corporation
Pressed By – Allied Record Company

DeGarmo & Key – Heat.It.Up. – 1993

This was D&K’s second last album and it really seems to have just been ignored. I really couldn’t find many reviews for it. As a result of this I sat down and listened to the album over again and I decided I love it. But that’s probably where the problem lies. I loved D&K thorough the 80’s but this album was in 1993. I now realize that D&K really hadn’t changed their sound much over the years. While this isn’t a problem for me it probably caused an issue getting new listeners in 1993. That said “Talk To Me” still made it to #6 on the charts and there were 2 tracks to make it into the 30’s on the charts. These would be the final charting singles for D&K. So my suggestion is if you enjoyed that D&K 80’s sound you will like this album but of you are more a fan of late 80’s early 90’s rock this album may not be for you. That said give it a listen anyway, it may surprise you.

Tracklist
1 – Voices – 0:40
2 – God Good/Devil Bad – 4:31
3 – Selective Amnesia – 3:12
4 – Never Look Back – 4:06
5 – Heat.It.Up. – 3:17
6 – It’s My Business – 4:28
7 – Dare 2B Different – 4:54
8 – Talk To Me – 4:29
9 – Armed And Dangerous – 4:27
10 – I Use The J Word – 3:56
11 – Soldiers Of The Cross – 4:24
12 – Divine Embrace – 3:34
13 – Fight Back – 5:37

Credits
Art Direction – Connie Harrington
Backing Vocals – Jim Jamison
Bass, Backing Vocals – Tommy Cathey
Design – The Riordon Design Group Inc.
Drums, Percussion – Greg Morrow
Engineer [2nd] – Jeff Powell, Jeffrey Reed, Skid Mills
Executive-Producer – Ken Pennell
Mastered By – Ken Love
Photography By – Mark Tucker
Producer, Engineer – John Hampton
Producer, Lead Vocals, Guitar – Dana Key
Producer, Organ [B3], Piano [Wurlitzer], Synthesizer, Vocals – Eddie DeGarmo

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – The ForeFront Communications Group, Inc.
Copyright © – The ForeFront Communications Group, Inc.
Distributed By – Benson Music Group, Inc.
Distributed By – Christian Marketing
Recorded At – Ardent Studios
Mixed At – Ardent Studios
Mastered At – Mastermix

Bryan Duncan – Mercy – 1992

To say this was a successful album is an understatement as it had 2 #1 hits and 4 #2 hits. Yet it did not get a Grammy or Dove award nomination. Until the end of time I will never ever understand the Christian Music industry. When 60% of an album goes to #2 or #1 it obviously should have been in the running. Furthermore the best track on the album, “Five Smooth Stones”, a duet with Crystal Lewis, wasn’t even released as a single. I am again left speechless by the industry. Anyway, the album has a few tracks where we get to hear that big band sound that Bryan loved and perfected and other than that we have some very solid pop tracks. I feel the album leans a little more to the ballads than his previous ones but it’s not a problem. This is a great album and several tracks are on my regular rotation.

Tracklist
1 – Mercy Me (Love Is My Responsibility) – 3:17
2 – Step By Step – 4:41
3 – Into My Heart – 3:55
4 – You Don’t Leave Me Lonely – 3:59
5 – When It Comes To Love – 5:58
6 – Looks A Lot Like Me – 3:45
7 – Love Takes Time – 3:51
8 – Faithful To You – 5:04
9 – I’ll Not Forget You – 4:27
10 – Five Smooth Stones – 3:31

Credits
Arranged By, Keyboards [Arranged By] – Michael Omartian, Peter Wolf, Robbie Buchanan
Art Direction – Diana Barnes
Backing Vocals – Alexis England, Darrell Brown, David Pack, David Robertson, Diana DeWitt, Gene Miller, Leslie Smith, Suzie Benson, Tom Burns
Bass – Neil Stubenhaus
Brass – Bill Reichenbach, Dan Higgins, Gary Grant, Jerry Hey
Design – Larry Vigon, Rowena Rivera Curtis
Drums – John Robinson
Engineer – Mike Mierau
Engineer [2nd] – Slamm Andrews
Engineer [Additional] – Al Phillips, Paul Erickson, Terry Christian
Guitar – Glenn Pearce, Paul Jackson Jr.
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Mixed By – Daren Klein
Organ [B-3], Keyboards [Additional] – Alan Pasqua
Percussion – Mike Fisher
Photography By – Denise Milford
Producer – Dan Posthuma

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Embassy Studios, Simi Valley, CA
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Word, Inc.
Copyright © – Word, Inc.
Manufactured By – Word, Inc.
Distributed By – Word, Inc.
Distributed By – Word Communications Ltd.
Distributed By – Word (Uk) Ltd.
Recorded At – Soundhouse Studios
Recorded At – Bunny Hop Studios
Recorded At – Ocean Studios
Recorded At – Mama Jo’s
Recorded At – Hollywood Sound Recorders
Recorded At – Pack’s Place
Mixed At – Westlake Studios
Mastered At – Future Disc
Glass Mastered At – Nimbus

The Archers – The Archers – 1973

This is the inaugural album from The Archers. At this point they were just brothers Steve and Tim along with Nancy Short. It was originally self release in 1972 but this is the commercial release a year later on Impact/Heart Warming Records. The brothers started out singing in their Fathers church in the mid 60’s. but by the early 70’s they were touring and even played EXPLO ’72 in Dallas, Texas to a crowd of 250 thousand. Most of the tracks on the album were written by Billy Masters who also played guitar on the album. “God’s Love” and “Jesus Is The Answer” both reached #1 on the CCM charts which is pretty good for your first album. As for my view on he album I actually think it’s pretty good. Normally I’m not a big fan of The Archers as they are a little too easy listening for me but quite frankly given the time period this is a really good album and strangely I think this will go down as my favourite from them.

Tracklist
1 – God’s Love – 4:12
2 – I’ve A Friend – 3:19
3 – Put On Jesus – 2:27
4 – Life In Jesus – 3:05
5 – It Won’t Be Long – 3:47
6 – As Long As I Know – 4:01
7 – Basically Roamin’ – 3:55
8 – Jesus Is The Answer – 3:24
9 – God’s Throne – 2:12
10 – For Me, For You – 5:00

Credits
Arranged By – Clark Gassman
Art Direction – Bob McConnell
Bass – Tim Jaquette
Drums – Tim Short
Engineer – Ami Hadami
Guitar [Uncredited] – Billy Masters
Keyboards – Tim Johnson
Photography By – Bill Grine
Producer – Gary Archer
Vocals – Nancy Short, Steve Archer, Tim Archer

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Impact Records

A.D. – Art Of The State – 1985

This was Kerry Livgren’s first album calling his band just AD. This album bumped up against the mainstream record label and rumour has it that the legalities of Kerry getting this album out was a nightmare. Kerry stated that the complete name change to AD was because he wanted to credit the whole band but behind the scenes it is fairly well known that his contract with CBS records meant he couldn’t even use his name. This release was on Kerygma Records and distributed by Sparrow. The album itself has a bit of a Kansas feel but not as much as you might think. Kerry’s songwriting skills are strong on this album and that helps the album stand out from his work with Kansas.

Tracklist
1 – All Creation Sings – 4:22
2 – We Are The Men – 4:41
3 – Lead Me To Reason – 3:56
4 – The Only Way To Have A Friend – 4:16
5 – Games Of Chance And Circumstance – 4:18
6 – The Fury – 5:34
7 – Progress – 4:39
8 – Heartland – 3:42
9 – Zion – 3:26
10 – Up From The Wastland – 4:25

Credits
Bass Guitar – Dave Hope
Design Concept, Executive Producer, Management – Ken Marcellino
Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals – Dennis Holt
Engineer [Additional Assistance] – Gary Westman
Executive Producer, Management – Mark Ferjulian
Guitar, Keyboards – Kerry Livgren
Illustration [Front Cover Illustration] – Tim Wild
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Design Concept, Engineer – Michael Gleason
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Woodwind, Harmonica – Warren Ham
Management – FM Management
Mastered By – Glenn Meadows
Producer, Engineer – Kerry Livgren
Written-By – Kerry Livgren, Michael Gleason, Warren Ham

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Sparrow Records
Produced For – GrandyZine Productions Inc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Kerygma Records
Copyright © – Kerygma Records
Mastered At – Masterfonics
Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Pitman
Published By – Don Kirshner Music
Published By – Blackwood Music Publishing
Published By – Kerygmatic Music
Published By – Warren Ham Music
Recorded At – Camp Dunwoody Studios
Mixed At – Camp Dunwoody Studios

Wanda Jackson – Rockabilly Fever – 1984

Wanda started her gospel music career in 1973 but she is best known for being a rockabilly star in the early 60’s. She really was a Rock & Roll Queen of the era. As time went on her sound mellowed out and eventually she turned to gospel country. In 1984 upon urging of Tab Records out of Sweden she did another rockabilly album in 1984 as the genre had come back into style. It’s not really a gospel album but does have one gospel track. In 1986 Varrick Records grabbed the album rights for release in Canada and the U.S. They re titled the album “Rock ‘N’ Roll Away Your Blues” and did a completely different and better album cover. As for the album it’s a mix of classic and new tracks and while they are well done the album just doesn’t capture the quality of her work in the 60’s.

Tracklist
1 – Rock A Billy Fever – 4:07
2 – Stupid Cupid – 2:27
3 – Rock’n’roll Away Your Blues – 2:27
4 – Sweet Nuthin’s – 2:27
5 – It’s Only Make Believe – 2:25
6 – Oh Boy – 2:14
7 – Rock A Billy Hound Dog – 2:44
8 – Breathless – 3:00
9 – Sad Love Song – 2:27
10 – Rave On – 1:53
11 – Meet Me In Stockholm – 3:23
12 – Ain’t It The Gospel – 2:31

Credits
Accordion – Christer Olund
Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals – Ann Persson
Backing Vocals – Anette Bengtsson, Curt & Roland, Lars Bengtsson, Pelle Bengtsson
Bass – Sven-Inge Neander
Double Bass [Upright Bass] – Östen Eriksson
Drums – Gunnar Norsten
Electric Guitar – Per-Olof Ahslund
Harmonica, Percussion – Björn Alriksson
Piano – Bert Östlund, Per Erik Jonsson
Piano, Organ – Stephan Berg
Saxophone – Benny Lawin
Steel Guitar, Electric Guitar – Kenth Larsson

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Music Mill Recording Studio, Kumla

Denny Correll – Something I Believe In – 1982

This is Denny’s third solo album and his best so far. While it definitely leans easy listening there are a couple pretty good pop tunes also. The whole album has a bit of a funk feel which works very nicely with his vocals. Unfortunately the album didn’t do well on the CCM charts which is yet another mystery of the 80’s as there are at least 2 top 40 quality songs on this album. The album cover features him getting in a cab. Is it just me or were there a lot of albums in the 80’s with Taxi’s on the cover? Anyway this is a good album that deserves a listen.

Tracklist
1 – Wake Up Everybody – 3:58
2 – Too Many Lonely People – 4:05
3 – Keepin’ My Eyes On You – 3:33
4 – Eternally (The Wedding Song) – 3:36
5 – You Can Depend On Jesus – 3:41
6 – Your Love – 3:34
7 – The Promise – 3:26
8 – Jesus Is Everywhere – 4:57
9 – Goin’ Up – 3:32
10 – Changin’ My Heart – 4:48

Credits
Arranged By [Horn Arrangements] – Bruce Miller
Arranged By [Rhythm Arrangements] – Hadley Hockensmith
Art Direction – Paul Gross
Backing Vocals – Howard McCrary, Linda McCrary, Phyllis St. James
Bass – Abraham Laboriel
Drums – Bill Maxwell
Engineer – Willie Harlan
Engineer [Assistant] – Brook Johnson
Engineer [Horns] – Peter Haden
Guitar – David Williams, Dean Parks, Eric Turner, Hadley Hockensmith
Guitar [Solos] – Hadley Hockensmith
Layout [Sleeve] – Dennis Hill
Mastered By – Bruce Leek
Other [Taxi Driver] – Arnold Johnson
Percussion – Alex Acuña, Bill Maxwell, Daryl Burch
Photography By – Sam Emerson
Producer – Bill Maxwell
Synthesizer – Tom Keene
Trombone – Bob Payne
Trumpet – Chuck Findley, Gary Grant, Walt Johnson
Woodwind – John Mitchell, Justo Almario

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Word, Inc. – 1982
Copyright © – Word, Inc. – 1982
Pressed By – Monarch Record Mfg. Co.
Recorded At – International Automated Media
Recorded At – Paramount Recording Studios
Mixed At – International Automated Media
Mastered At – International Automated Media

Evie – A Little Song Of Joy For My Little Friends – 1978

Sometimes the hardest part of what we so here is doing these little reviews of these albums. Take this album for example. Evie does a children’s album. That’s about all their is to say. It’s not bad, it’s just a children’s album and it’s a little hard to get excited about that. I checked all the contributing musicians and it’s an excellent collection of quality Studio musicians but no one really notable so nothing there to talk about. Anyway so here it is the best children’s album Evie ever did.

Tracklist
1 – Step Into The Sunshine – 3:09
2 – Why Complain – 2:16
3 – Tree Song – 2:57
4 – His Will – 1:31
5 – All Day Song – 3:10
6 – I Am Safe – 1:15
7 – Jesus I Believe What You Said – 3:23
8 – It’s Not Just A Story – 2:06
9 – Will The Circle Be Unbroken? & This Little Light Of Mine – 2:50
10 – Creature Praise – 2:46
11 – Into My Heart – 3:35

Credits
Backing Vocals – Becki Byrd, Catherine Snider, Gwenn Robertson, Karen Robertson, Laura Warren, Lee Warren
Bass – Jack Williams
Drums – Bill Harris, Jerry Carrigan
Flute, Saxophone – Billy Puett
Guitar – Billy Sandford*, Jerry Shook, Pete Bordonali, Weldon Myrick
Harmonica – Charlie McCoy
Keyboards – Kjell Ohman, Randy Goodrum
Percussion – Farrell Morris

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Word, Inc.
Recorded At – The Sound Lab, Nashville
Remixed At – Europa Film

Wanda Jackson – Closer To Jesus – 1977

50’s Rocker Wanda Jackson is back with her 6th Christian album and her 26th album overall. Yes this is her 26th album. Now she may have been a rocker in the 50’s but she certainly mellowed out by the 70’s and in fact this album would be best described as country but you can still hear hints of her great work in the 50’s. As good as this album was again she missed out on having a charting CCM single. In fact she never had a charting CCM single. For the life of me I am completely bewildered at this and there had to be some politics involved as her music was for the main part exactly what CCM was looking for. Now if this album doesn’t really appeal to you hang in there because she soon actually did a few more Rockabilly albums and we will be highlighting them soon.

Tracklist
1 – Where I’m Going – 3:13
2 – The World Didn’t Give It To Me – 3:03
3 – The Carpenter’s Son – 3:21
4 – Grandma Sang Off Key – 2:48
5 – He Was There All The Time – 3:24
6 – Closer To Jesus – 3:19
7 – Learning To Lean – 3:51
8 – Gaither Praise Medley – 2:29
9 – Walkin’ In The Spirit – 2:28
10 – He’s Been Through It Too – 3:39

Lenny LeBlanc – Say A Prayer – 1983

Lenny LeBlanc is a very interesting story. He was actually quite a successful secular artist in the 70’s and was under contract by Capitol Records. He had recorded and released the first of that 2 record contract in 1981. However also 1981 he became saved after having a talk with his newly saved friend who was, and I quote here “… a big-time drug smuggler”. Lenny subsequently wanted to do Christian music which Capitol Records wasn’t much interested in. They did however agree to release him from his contract of he could find someone to buy it out. The Christian music labels were certainly not interested in this so he was stuck being unable to do music and actually made a living doing stained glass which was another one of his skills. In 1983 it became obvious to Capitol that no one was going to buy out his contract so they agreed to release him. He immediately signed with Heartland Records and recorded this album. The album is a relatively easy listening 80’s pop album but there are a few pretty good upbeat tracks of which the best is probably “Give Your Heart To The Lord”. The single for the album was “Say A Prayer” which reached #9 on the CCM charts.

Tracklist
1 – Say A Prayer – 3:51
2 – Have Mercy – 3:59
3 – Preacher Man – 3:53
4 – Give Your Heart To The Lord – 3:12
5 – New Tomorrow – 3:45
6 – Angel Of The Lord – 3:33
7 – Asleep In The Boat – 4:02
8 – I Don’t Understand – 3:41
9 – Soul Searching – 3:37
10 – I Believe In You – 3:58

Credits
Backing Vocals – Ava Aldridge, Cindy Richardson, Mac McAnally, Michele Pillar, Robert Byrne, Sherrie LeBlanc
Bass – David Hood, David Hungate, Mike Brignardello
Blues Harp – Bill Darnell
Drums – Larrie Londin, Roger Hawkins
Engineer – Gary Platt, Greg McNeily
Engineer [Mixdown] – Gary Platt
Guitar – Jon Goin, Wayne Perkins, Will McFarlane
Keyboards – Clayton Ivey, Shane Keister, Steve Nathan
Lacquer Cut By [JG in runouts] – Joe Gastwirt
Management – Rip Pelley
Percussion – Farrell Morris
Producer, Backing Vocals – Jon Phelps
Producer, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Guitar – Lenny LeBlanc
Saxophone – Ronnie Eades

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Heartland Records
Copyright © – Heartland Records
Recorded At – The Full Sail Dream Machine
Recorded At – Muscle Shoals Sound Studios
Remixed At – Fifth Floor Recording Studios
Mastered At – JVC Cutting Center