Hinson Family – Sundays Never End
Producer: Weston Hinson
Label: Independent Release
Website: www.thehinsonfamily.com
One of the greatest gospel groups to ever grace a stage was the Hinsons. If you’ve never been acquainted with their music, you can read about their music on my Facebook page (shameless plug!) where I reviewed each of their albums via the following link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.377930750755406&type=3. The influence the Hinsons made on gospel music is still very much felt today, and Kenny Hinson’s son, Weston, is proudly carrying on the tradition with class. Not willing to rest on the laurels of his dad, uncles and aunt’s success as a group, Weston and his wife Christy are writing their own music and making their own mark on the industry with their distinct country gospel sound.
The recording starts off with the country/blues feel of “STAYING WITH HIM”, which was written by Ronny Hinson. Weston does a super job channeling his dad, Kenny Hinson, and gives us a fantastic performance on this great song of declaration.
Christy is totally in the pocket as she belts out the faith filled lyric of “HE KNOWS THE WAY HOME”. Encouraging us to place our trust in Christ, the song reminds us that “the way is straight, the path is narrow, and though sometimes it seems we walk alone, an unseen hand is there to lead us, just follow Jesus, He knows the way home.”, and it is easily one of the best tracks on the recording.
Picking up the tempo, Weston does an excellent job on the high energy tune, “I GOT MY HALLELUJAH BACK”, which was written by his uncle Ronny. Filled with nice piano licks along with steel and electric guitar fills, this song drips that old fashioned Hinson style and is a highlight of the recording, before Christy slows the pace down for the country driven ballad, “BEAUTIFUL OUT OF BROKEN”. Written by Christy, the song is a desperate lyric, written for those broken and need to make their way back to the Savior…“here I am, running back to You, back to my Father’s arms and a love that’s so true, here I lay broken at Your feet, and I know that You’re the only One who can mend every piece…’cause I know You make beautiful out of broken”.
Back in 1975, the Hinsons introduced their biographical song, “Little Storefront Church” to audiences across the nation, and the song was a wonderful tribute to their humble beginnings. Fast forward nearly 50 years later to 2023, the upbeat and electric guitar driven, “PREACHER MAN”, shares more insight into that Hinson legacy. Featuring Weston and written by Weston and Christy along with Matthew Lawson and Nathan Woodard, it’s a highlight of the recording, before Weston slows things down with “ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS”, which was written by Christy.
With its strong country feel, Christy steps up to sing the preachy, “IF YOU AIN’T GOT GOD”. Written by Christy, the song is a blunt reminder to everyone that…“you can be a sinner on a bar stool…you can be a sinner on a pew…you ain’t got nothin’, if you ain’t got God”.
Christy keeps the tempo in slow mode as she sings the sentimental, “SAY GOODBYE”, before Weston steps up to sing a song simple titled, “CONDEMNED”. Another song written by Weston, Christy, Matthew Lawson and Nathan Woodard, I love the imagery in the song comparing “a lonely vacant home” with “a tattered, wounded soul”.
Christy is featured again on another song she wrote titled, “IF I KNEW THEN”, which recalls wonderful childhood memories, as does “SUNDAYS NEVER END”. This song could have been written about my own childhood where I spent just about every Sunday after church at my own granny and grandpa’s house, eating Sunday dinner and enjoying the love and company of one another. The song holds a special place in my heart and is probably my favorite song from the recording.
Christy is featured once again on the medium tempo, “THIS SHIP’S NOT GOING DOWN”, before Weston slows the pace back down with the Ronny Hinson penned, “I’M NOT ME ANYMORE”. With it’s electric and steel guitar driven track, the song is country as fried cornbread and sounds eerily similar to something Kenny Hinson would have sung. I love the unique key change going into the second verse, and it’s just a great reflective song and a highlight of the recording.
One of my favorite songs is the Christy Hinson penned, “WALKING ON WATER”. I love the message in the song, that if we keep our eyes on Jesus, we too can be…“walking on water like it’s land”, before Weston closes out the recording with the anthem, “NEVER FORGET TO REMEMBER”.
This is an excellent recording overall and is filled with lots of strong songs that are both sung and played well. One aspect that makes this recording maintain its strong Hinson feel is former Hinson band members, Kelly Back and Scott Sanders are playing electric guitar and steel guitar respectively. The only drawback I find here is there are a lot of slower tempo songs and only 2 songs that are truly up-tempo, and they are placed early in the first half of the recording. I would have liked to have heard a couple more upbeat tunes mixed in for some variety, but outside of that, it’s an excellent piece of work and ranks as one of my favorite releases for 2023 so far! If you were a fan of the original Hinsons and have not discovered the music of Weston and Christy Hinson (aka-the Hinson Family), do yourself a favor and check out this recording. You’ll be glad you did! With a whopping 15 tracks and 56+ minutes of music, you definitely get your money’s worth!
Some of my personal favorites from this recording include “Staying with Him”, “He Knows the Way Home”, “I Got My Hallelujah Back”, “Preacher Man”, “Sundays Never End”, “I’m Not Me Anymore” and “Walking on Water”.
