For this month's national review we took a look at the newest offering from one of quartet gospel's Legends. Now we take a look at one of quartet gospel's up and coming groups. From the town of Dunn North Carolina we present to some and introduce to others Determined. This group is literally what you would call a babe in the quartet industry. Having only formed in the year 2000 this group of young men have really stirred up some commotion in the quartet industry. With ages ranging from 18 to 28 this is truly a young quartet group with a heavy traditional influence. As is the case with most young quartet groups Determined is definitely an instrumental driven group. With thumping bass rifts and some fancy vocal stylings these young men could easily be singing Contemporary gospel. Lead singers Chris Baker and Darius Harrington work together with all the precision of a Ira Tucker & James Walker (Legendary Dixie Hummingbirds duo).

When I first ran into this project I was amazed with the professional quality of the cover and CD art. One would automatically think that these guys are signed on a national record label. The production of the CD is absolutely some of the best you will see and hear on the market today. This group truly reaches out to every audience with their sound and their promotional mindset. Their CD is currently available at amazon.com giving even the overseas fans a chance to obtain their music. On the whole the project offers a wider variety of song types in the traditional genre. From the hard driving title cut "Hold On" to the beautiful arrangement of "Love Lifted Me" the listener is treated to some good quartet gospel. With this their debut release they show their arrangement skills on ten powerful selections.

As I think of some of the standout selection on this project my mind goes directly to the title cut "Hold On". This quartet drive song is nothing short of quartet excellence. With a powerful bass drive and a no holds barred lead vocalist this selection is sure to have your feet moving. However, as many probably know by now my cup of tea is a good slow ballad where I can truly think on the words you are singing. This requirement is fulfilled with "I Know What Prayer Can Do". With the smooth lead vocals of Darius Harrington the group really shows their tight harmony. The music is at a low roar and the emphasis is definitely on praising God for always answering prayer. In the tradition of Rev. Darrel Mcfadden's new project the group throws in a little "chatter" track in which you hear them practicing one of the tracks on the CD. This interesting practice is starting to become popular in the gospel industry though it's history reaches back many years. For the most part this is a deeply New traditional project with the exception of the last track "Love Isn't Love". This song shows the group in a contemporary setting, which I do have to say, fits quite well. On a whole this project is very powerful and definitely deserves the attention of quartet enthusiasts. However, as was the case with The Highway QC's CD if you don't like a lot of instrumentation this one is definitely not for you. I give Determined "Hold On" a 8.5 out of 10. You may visit the group's web site by going to the Gloryland Links page.