Staff writer Andrew Stephens did a brief Q&A with Soul’d Out’s Matt Rankin about the group’s new release and current sound!
Andrew Stephens: Soul’d Out Quartet has been travelling the roads for several years. Take a moment and share with us when the group started and the current line-up.
Matt Rankin: Soul’d Out was formed in July of 2001 as a mixed trio. We then reformed in May of 2004 as a male quartet. The current line up is Dusty Barrett tenor, Jason McAtee as lead, Ian Owens as bass, and myself as baritone.
AS: Matt, you’re well-known for writing the majority of Soul’d Out’s repertoire. What are some of your personally most-loved songs Soul’d Out has recorded?
MR: My favs of songs I’ve written are “Through the Blood,” “The Return,” a new one that I co-wrote with Joel Lindsey called “Next to a Holy God,” and “Hey Everybody.”
AS: Recently, Soul’d Out Quartet released their first mainstream release in over 4 years. What can listeners expect from Run to the Light?
MR: I believe listeners can expect to hear encouraging, biblical content in each song. This album is self produced and a little on the progressive or “middle of the road” side, while maintaining our SG roots. It has an Imperials/GVB flair to it.
AS: As you’ve traveled and performed in a variety of venues, what is the most challenging factor Gospel Music faces in the concert environment?
MR: We sing at a lot of blended CCM churches, especially on Sunday mornings. But we also perform at many straight ahead SG venues. I think one of the biggest challenges is reaching across generational barriers. Trying to come across “cool” to a younger audience is difficult, especially when all the music they listen to has fog, lasers, media and stage light at those concerts. It makes it difficult to compete with all that hype. Another challenge is to translate tracks when they are watching live bands in all other genres. The older crowd doesn’t seem to like live instrumentation.
AS: Since Soul’d Out has an eclectic style, I’m sure you all have several musical influences. Share with us a few artists who’ve influenced your personal tastes.
MR: Our influences include 90s Gold City, Kingsmen, The Cathedrals, and Gaither Vocal Band primarily.
AS: What can listeners expect from the Soul’d Out Quartet in the next year?
MR: We are planning and picking songs now for a more transitional recording. We are planning to go back and select songs that are more familiar, and we are revisiting the sound that attracted us to want to sing SG music.
AS: Where can fans keep up with the Soul’d Out Quartet?
MR: Listeners and fans can find us at www.souldoutquartet.com, Facebook, Pandora, Apple Music, Spotify and any digital download site such as iTunes and Google play.
