Revelation “Christ for Me” Album Review

Prime Cuts: King Forever, Christ For Me, Come Unto Me

The Southern Gospel music scene is so littered with quartets and trios that it is reaching a point of saturation.  Thus, when push comes to shove, sometimes it's a challenge to differentiate one group from another.  And with the proliferation of groups comes the re-cycling of songs coming from the same canon that keeps getting replicated over and over again.  So, thank God for Revelation.  Hailed from Northern Ireland, Revelation has had already been quite a tour-de-force with the albums they have had released over there.  Garnering the attention of Crossroads Music, the musical home of the Talleys, the McKameys, Kingsmen and the Inspirations, Revelation has released their Celtic-tinged Southern Gospel music to the US giving the genre a much needed International flavoring.  And instead of churning around the evergreens associated with the Southern Gospel canon, there are only three covers with the rest of the material brimming with a fresh cutting edge allure.

Comprising of Thomas McCalmont (tenor), David Strange (lead) and Andrew Calderwood (baritone), Revelation was formed in Northern Ireland.  After a couple of releases in their homeland, in an effort to upgrade their sound, they came over to the famed one of the Annual National Quartet conventions.  There they met Dave McVay of Three Bridges where McVay suggested that they contact Jim Collins at Crossroads Music.  Ever since 2010, they have had released three albums under the Crossroads Music's imprint.  "Christ for Me" is the third in this trio of releases.  And it's also their best. 

Here the trio sound more confident and relaxed evidenced by the album's first cut "King Forever."   Coming from the ubiquitous scribe Rebecca J. Peck, "King Forever" opens the album on a great start.  With its lyrics detailing the cornerstone of the Gospel of how Christ reigns via his death and resurrection, "King Forever" finds the lads cruising along a gorgeous country shuffle that is an exercise of bliss for the ears.  With jazzy flowing piano riffs, the ballad "Come Unto Me" puts to music the promise of Jesus in Matthew 11:28. "What a Friend We Have," a new composition that borrows a few chords of the Joseph Scriven hymn of the same titular, features the sounds of bagpipes as the trio draws upon their heritage.

If the three covers, "Higher Ground" is easily the best; given an Irish traditional dance twirl the boys have put a new zest into this familiar hymn.  While the harmonica-laced "God is Good All the Time" is a piece of toe tapping fun while "I Wish I Could Have Been There" borders on average with its bluesy swamp feel.   And if you are into a seamless harmonies over a cinematic song quipped with all the trimmings of the big orchestrated sounds be prepared to be left in holy awe with Revelation's rendition of Edwin Brown's "Christ for Me."  Thus, if you are looking for Southern Gospel Music with an Irish kick that makes this record stand out from the pack, "Christ for Me" is the one.

 

 

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