Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Love Won by the Talleys

In the 80's and early 90's, The Talleys were very popular, having an edgy Southern Gospel sound. The group consisted of husband and wife, Roger and Debra, and Roger's brother, Kirk. They disbanded in the late 90's and Kirk went solo. A few years later, Roger and Debra hit the road with their daughter, Lauren, as the Talley Trio. Their sound has been more traditional Southern Gospel, and they quickly became one of my favorite groups.

They have done several CDs as the Talley Trio, but that has changed with this CD. Lauren married and her husband, Brian, became part of the group. Obviously now that they are four, they are no longer a trio, so they dropped the trio and are now the Talleys again. I was really looking forward to this new CD and even took advantage of a pre-buy special they had, hoping I'd get it earlier, and I did. The CD is not in stores yet and has a release date of early May. I got it last week, and am loving it. They have an even better sound, and Brian adds a lot to the group.

The songs:

1) We Want To Thank You: a very slow song, written by the new group member, Brian Alvey. Its very pleasant to listen to and reminds us  to be thankful to God.

2) Love Won: Written by Kenna Turner West, this song alone is worth the price of the CD. It starts out with just piano playing some Mozart piece. Other instruments join in for a few seconds, then it calms down and the group begins singing in unison before going to parts.... this is an awesome song, a great song about the Resurrection of Jesus.

3) Make Way For the Master: another song from the pen of Brian, and featuring him. Great song. The first verse is about the blind man Bartimaes, and the second makes it relevant to us today. Check out the video I made of the song at the end of the blog post.

4) Broken World: Not one of my favorites on the CD, though I like it well enough. The song presents some scenarios showing how we live in a broken world, but how that will change some day. Features Lauren.

5) Every Scar: This is a song I skip sometimes. It features Roger, and I'm just not that wild about the song. It sounds like it needs something, though I'm not sure what. The words are good enough.

6) Talk To The Lord About It: This song has a different sound to it, but I like it. It features Debra, and is a reminder to pray about our problems. They go into a little of the old standard, A Little Talk With Jesus.

7) Up Above: Another favorite. Features Lauren and Brian. The song talks about how bad it can be down here, but "up above" we will understand and see things clearly why we went through what we did here. Very nice song.

8) Surely: This is a fast tempo song using the words of the last verse of Psalm 23. It features Lauren, and is another great song.

9) Great Love He Gave: a slower song that also has an Easter theme to it. Features Debra and Lauren and has the chorus of Christ Arose in the song. I really enjoy this one.

10) The Church Will Overcome: This is the liveliest song on the CD, and I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but it grew on me. It features Brian and he shows his talents on this one.

11) How Deep The Father's Love For Us: This song sounded familiar to me, and as many CCM and P&W artists that have recorded it, it is likely that I did hear it before. It sounds like an old hymn, but is a very new song. I find myself humming and/or singing it constantly. Very pleasing melody and great words. One of my favorites. I also made a video for it.

12) That's Why I Love Him So: my favorite song on the CD. Co-written by Brian, and previously recorded with the quartet he was in, The Tribute Quartet. I listened to their version, and this one beats it by far. Awesome song. I love everything about it. It features Brian.

13) Love Covers All: Another slow song, but done very well. It features Lauren and reminds us that God loves, no matter what.

The song has 13 songs and comes in at 53.7 minutes, longer than the average CD. It has some top-notch songs, and I am really loving the new sound of the group. This one will be hard to top.

Make Way For The Master:



How Deep the Father's Love For Us:

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