Rev. Jerial Dingle & The Harmonics
Christian Life
This month's review takes us to the state of South Carolina. This fare state has been the starting place of many groups and lead singers like The Dixie Hummingbirds, and the Legendary Rev. Julius Cheeks of the Nightingales. The tradition continues with Rev. Jerial Dingle & The Harmonics of Jordan, South Carolina. With this their first major release, the Harmonics have already started to make an impact on the airwaves. The soothing voice of Rev. Dingle coupled with the silky backgrounds of the Harmonics make for the perfect combination.
As it is with most projects the first thing that catches the listeners attention is the great production. There is a perfect mixture of vocals and instrumentations as is the case with other projects on this label. Amir records is truly starting to make a name for itself with two powerful quartet groups. The other group on the labe is the late Jr. Franklin of the Mighty Clouds of Joy's powerhouse female group The Golden Echoes. If you are a fan of tight background vocals then this is a project you will want to check out. The selections are full of ministry and great singing by Rev. Dingle on every selection. I do have to say, this project is somewhat similar to "Heal The Land" by Rev. Lesure & The Christian Brothers who were reviewed a few months back. For those tired of the same old blaring guitars and screaming vocals, you won't find that on this CD.
There are many good songs on this project, however there are a few selections with strikingly similar arrangements to popular quartet songs of the day. The Harmonics sing a very beautiful song entitled "Shine". The song is a slow ballad that has a very similar arrangement to The Canton Spirituals "Hallelujah Square". Neverless, the song is great and the message is powerful. Another song of note is the title cut "Christian Life". This song tells the story of a drug dealer who turned his life over the Lord. The mid-tempo selection gallops along to smooth vocals by both the Harmonic and Rev. Dingle. Rev. Dingle goes to work on the Gospelaires classic "Sit Down Servant". In classic Bob Washington style Rev. Dingle literally drives so hard that your throat feels raw. On the whole this project is an example of some great new talent with a unique smooth sound. This project can be purchase from the Amir records web site by clicking here Amir Records. I give Rev. Jerial Dingle & The Harmonics an 8 out of 10.