A few years ago, a group from North Carolina took the gospel music industry and the country by storm with the song “Tell The Lord About It.”  That group was Revive.

The lead singer, with a very unique voice, for Revive, at that time, was Johnavon Sauls.  Most know him as Bo Peep.  Bo Peep has since left Revive and started his own group. 

His new group is Bo Peep and Good News.    When asked why did he name the group Good News, his obvious response was that they sing the “Good News of the Bible.”  The group consists of Bo Peep, Heath Morris (lead guitar and baritone singer), Heston Morris (second tenor and drummer), Melvin Wilson (first tenor) Melvin Bernell (keyboard) and Antonio Nickels the bass guitar player.

Bo Peep and Good News' freshman project is “Extra! Extra!”  And we must admit that listening to it was a positively extraordinary experience.  It is full of “Good News.”  This fifteen track project is just what the world needs to hear at this time, Good News. 

The project begins with the upbeat “God Don’t Change.”  The title tells it all and the guys really put a lot of energy into this song.  The next track encourages us to just keep holding on because “Good News Is On The Way.” 

With “Keep On Working On Me,” Bo Peep and Good News take you back to the sound of the Mighty Clouds of Joy during the sixties.  You will feel like you are in a good old quartet gospel concert.  There is just enough instrumentation on this song.  There are great background vocals on this song.  For enthusiasts of gospel quartet music, you will find yourself playing this track over and over.

The next track is “Could Have Been The Other Way,” which is a daily prayer in song, a prayer of thanks.  The next two tracks “God Cares” and “I’ll Do It Your Way” are upbeat and shows the vocal range of not only Bo Peep, but other members of the group.

The project slows down with the soft and mellow “Send Your Mercy.”  The slow down is not long, because the project picks back up with “Straighten Out All The Wrong.”  This will probably be considered the drive song.  It is also the song that will most remind you of Revive.

The next track, “Make Everything Alright,” features Heath Morris sharing lead duties.  This is followed by “Never Forget,” which features Monique Morris sharing lead duties.

“Right Connection,” “Too Much To Give Up Now,” and “Don’t Make A Move” are three songs that make this a well rounded project.  These songs showcase the different styles of music that the group brings to the gospel quartet genre. 

The next track is a “Tribute to Rev. E. Stewart.”  What a fitting tribute that reminds us that God makes not mistake and that we just have to trust Him.  The only negative to this song is that it is very short.  You will just begin to appreciate the message of the song when it suddenly comes to an end.  The project closes with a “raw” rehearsal version, of only 1 minute and 36 seconds in length, of “God Don’t Change.”              

The project contains great new songs with a definite traditional gospel quartet flair.   On the whole this first release from Bo Peep and Good News is an exceptional project.  We give Bo Peep and Good News’ "Extra! Extra!" a 9 out of 10.  Click on the title to hear “Good News Is On The Way.”

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