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This month we take
you to the state of Maryland and introduce to some and present to others
David Harrison and The Bells of Joy.
Their 2007 recording is titled I Can't Give Up Now.
This is their third recording. Their first full project (titled
Breakthrough) was released in 2000. In 2004 they released the CD
titled Do You Really Love The Lord.
These guys are seasoned
musicians and singers. In addition, they own their record label - The
Bells Recording Company. You may not be familiar with this label,
but get ready to hear a great deal more about them. The label has just
completed work on the new recording by
Joe White and Company
titled Put Your Trust In Jesus.
For the quartet enthusiast, when you hear the name
Bells of Joy
you probably think of the group from the 30s, 40s and 50s. The group
that gave us such songs as "Let's Talk About Jesus" and In
The Morning. Well, this is not that group.
David Harrison and The Bell of
Joys are in fact an
offshoot from The
Sensational Bells of Joy of Baltimore, Maryland.
The group consists of Mr. Harrison, Tracy Merritte, Sr. and David Merritte.
Tracy and David sing background, play several instruments an actually sing lead
on several songs. The guys share lead duties on most of the songs and they
wrote most of the songs on this project. Spanky Williams joined the guys
on two of the tracks. In addition, the project is produced by Carl (Benny
Hill) Britt and Milton Johnson. Many will remember Benny from his days
with Doc McKenzie and The
Gospel Hi-Lites and
Bill Pinkney and The Gospel
Drifters.
The recoding begins with Inside
Out. Mr. Harrison and David share lead duties. This upbeat
song tells us that Jesus is working on us from the "Inside Out."
The song has a great message. In addition, the instrumentation is outstanding.
Mr. Harrison slows things down with the traditional Lord Come By Here.
Now, this song will definitely remind you of the quartet era of the late 60s
and early 70s. Listen to the groans throughout the songs. And, pay
close attention to the interaction between the lead singer and the background
singers.
"If You Love The Lord" is the next track. Spanky Williams
shares lead duties with Mr. Harrison. Spanky takes this very traditional
song that has been sung by many and really makes it an exciting song. The next
track is "Im Free." For those who remember the Late
Calvert McNair,
this is the same song that was the title track to his solo project.
The Bells of Joy
really provide an outstanding rendition of this song. It may not receive
any airplay; after all, it is over eight (8) minutes in length. But, we
feel comfortable in saying that this will be one of your favorite songs on this
project. David Merritte, Sr. and Mr. Harrison share the lead duties. They
interact so well on this song that is difficult to determine who is actually
singing lead.
"Put Your Weight on Me" and "Ill Go" are the next
two tracks. They are followed by "Bless and Brought Up By The Lord."
This song also has the early 70s feel to it. In fact, it will probably
remind you of Willie Banks
and The Messengers.
This song also
shows the versatility of the vocal talents of Mr. Harrison. What a
powerful ballad.
The next track is "I Made It." This is followed by "No
God Like Mine." This is another powerful song. The
background harmony is great on this track. The CD closes with the title
track "I Cant Give Up Now." On this track Spanky shares lead
duties with David Merritte and Mr. Harrison. This is another song that may
not get airplay because of the length. It is over seven (7) minutes long.
But, the message is so powerful it does not seem that long. Of all the
songs on this project, this is the one we encourage you to listen to closely.
Like several others, it has a powerful message. More importantly, there is
something in this song for everyone.
Although, there are several songs that have
been recorded before by others, this is a great CD. There are some
original songs on this CD. It is obvious
from the song selections and the arrangements that a great deal of thought went into the production of this CD.
Benny has taken some of the best of what he gained from being with
Doc
and with
The Gospel Drifters and
consolidated those gains into the production of this project.
If
you like good gospel music than you must have this new offering from
David Harrison and The Bells of Joy.
We give
David Harrison and The Bells of Joy's
I Can't Give Up Now an 8.5 out of 10.
You
may not be able to find this CD in your local record store. However, you
should be able to purchase it by contacting the group at (410) 624-3597.
Click on the title to hear Inside
Out."
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