There's been a lot of hub-bub on the internet lately about the latest release from the Booth Brothers - Declaration. The album represents a lot of different things for the extremely popular trio. First - this is the first time that the trio has teamed up with Lari Goss to produce the record - giving it a much more sweeping, orchestrated sound that hasn't been common on past releases. These songs just soar from start to finish. Upon hearing the opening trumpet tones on the first track "A Higher Throne" - one recognizes that this isn't your typical Booth Brothers release.
Other songs have Lari Goss' fingerprints all over them - such as the show-stopping "God Did It All," "We Believe," and "Statement of Faith." "All Over the World," with its playful Latin accompaniment sounds more like a Goss choral cut than Southern Gospel classic. Also, the acapella intro on "Then I Met the Master" adds a nice touch and feels a bit atypical for this kind of Goss production.
Another notable aspect about this release is that the Booth Brothers have focused on finding songs that are scripturally relevant - rather than just singing Gospel songs that feel good. The guys touch on a lot of different things here, such as God's judgement ("Before the Cross"), Grace's life changing power ("I See Grace"), strength of the church ("I Still Believe In the Church"), and the peace of God ("Absolute Peace"). In fact, the first thing the listener really takes away from Declaration isn't the grand arrangements or excellent vocals - but it's the power of the lyric that really stands out - especially on cuts like "I See Grace," "God Did It All," and "Absolute Peace."
Overall, fans of the Booth Brothers' more progressive releases (such as Room For More and The Blind Man Saw It All) might be a tad bit disappointed with this release's lack of originality in vocal arrangements and cutting edge, up-beat tracks. And that is a valid concern for fans of the group. Declaration really does have a few pacing issues with a lack of any real strong upbeat and radio-friendly numbers ("I See Grace" notwithstanding - please guys - this song is begging to be heard on the radio). Also, while "All Over the World" is a fun tune, and it does work well in a live setting - the tune just doesn't work in this batch of songs and feels way out of left field when the track starts up (especially following the stellar "The Gospel Song/Before the Cross"). In addition, this version of the Mosie Lister classic "Then I Met the Master" has a beautiful arrangement, but feels a bit too over produced and the track should be brought a few clicks up in the reviewer's very humble opinion. The track drags a bit too much for this listener's taste.
Even with those minor quibbles, Declaration will easily go down as one of 2010's finest releases and possibly the Booth Brothers' career recording.
Author: Chris D. Unthank
| Author's Website: http://southernspin.com
Written: 09/01/2010
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Category: Reviews
Comments: 0
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