Ronica & The Mighty Blazing Stars
Lord It's In Your Hands
For this the month of February we take a look at one of the hottest groups on the road today. If your looking for a Spirit filled all out hard gospel singing group then your looking for Ronica & The Mighty Blazing Stars. If your looking for a project that offers a wide variety of styles then this CD is not for you. Ronica & The Mighty Blazing stars are what I call hard core traditional quartet. Their sound would put anyone in the mind of the Legends of the 1960's. The Mighty Blazing stars burst onto the national scene with their 1998 release entitled "Live". This CD featured songs such as "Lonesome Road", "You Can't Tell It", and "Fly Away". The powerful lead vocals of Ronica Bowers mixed with the Sky high falsetto background of the Blazing Stars makes for an explosive package.
Like the Blazing Stars previous "Live" recording, this project offers a great batch of original material. Their style is close to that of the Violinaires while definitely exhibiting the smoothness of groups such as the Pilgrim Jubilees. The Jubes influence can be heard on songs such as "Rock Me". I do have to say that the highlight of this project is the lead vocal exchanges between Ronica and her 14-year-old son Tony Bowers. His maturity as a singer is showcased in my favorite song on the project "He'll Make It All Right". Throughout the entire project Ronica and Tony can be heard complimenting each other with vocal interplay.
Songs of note on this project include the first selection "How Blessed You Are" and basically all the other songs. I was blessed with the opportunity to hear the Blazing Stars perform this song at this year's Quartet Convention and all I can really say is outstanding. This song is a serious drive song that truly makes the listener think of the Blessings God has bestowed on all of us. Other songs of note include the aforementioned "Rock Me" and the projects other drive song "Satisfied With Jesus". I do have to say the Mighty Blazing Stars really have probably some of the hardest driving songs of groups on the road today.
While listening to all the songs on the project it is almost impossible not to hear the soul-stirring guitar playing of the group's patriarch Robert Bowers. His distinct sound is recognized and emulated by many on the road today. If I had one complaint with this project I would have to say that it should have been recorded "Live". Not to say that the sound quality is lessened by recording in the studio, but the interplay of the crowd is definitely a plus. On a whole this project is just as well rounded as their previous release. I highly recommend adding this project to your quartet collection. Contact your local record shop to order your copy of "Lord It's In Your Hands" today. I give Ronica & The Mighty Blazing Stars "Lord It's In Your Hands" a 9 out of 10.