The Sons of Faith
Take It To Jesus
This month’s spotlight is on the group The Sons of Faith of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their freshman project is “Take It To Jesus.” It was interesting to learn that this is their first project. Nothing about this CD would suggest that it is from guys that have never recorded together before.
However, after reviewing the musical background of the group members, it is easy to realize why they sound like a seasoned group. Members of the group have performed with The Golden Swans, The Soulful Messengers, The Blind Boys Of Alabama and Mississippi, The Soul Stirrers and The Heavenly Stars. The members of the group are Thomas Young, Orlando Neal, Colin Brown and Charles Yates. They are the vocalists and musicians for the group.
One of the unique aspects of the CD is that The Sons of Faith is not trying to sound like some other group. They truly have their own sound and style. Although they do several songs that have been recorded by others, they have not tried to sound like the groups that previously recorded the songs. One of the songs that will immediately be recognized is “Morning Dove.” Yes, this is Harvey Watkins’ version of the song, but The Sons of Faith add their distinctive style to the track and make it their own.
There are many good songs on the project. Such as, “Power In The Name,” “Come on Jesus,” and “God Will Supply.” These songs will remind you of the gospel quartet groups of 20 to 30 years ago. In this case, that is a good thing. For, this is a pure traditional gospel quartet recording. So, it is good that a group would recognize the sound of the 70’s and 80’s and apply that sound to a project of today.
You will not find a true drive song on this project. However, there are several upbeat tracks that are sure to get your toes tapping and your hands clapping. The title track, “Take It To Jesus” reminds us of the power of prayer. We hear the message many times in gospel recordings that we should “just take it to Jesus.” It is good to be reminded in this slow moving thought provoking song by the Sons.
The other songs on this project are “Been So Good,” “Walkin In Heaven,” “Running 4 Jesus,” “Fit It” and “Washed In The Blood.” With all of the songs on this project, the Sons have taken the best from the groups they have performed with and crafted a style all of their own. To some extent this is one project that somewhat bridges the gap between gospel quartet music of the 70’s and 80's and today. You will at times think that you are listening to good gospel quartet music of the 70’s. Yet, you will certainly find yourself playing this project over and over. And we must admit that the more we listen to the project, the more appreciation we have for the project.
It would be difficult to select just one favorite song from this project. Several of the songs deserve to be in heavy rotation on radio stations around the country. We note that on the Sons’ website they have the CD listed for $5.00. Be assured that is a bargain. Do not let this price cause you to not purchase this CD. The price is not indicative of the quality of the CD. This is a good traditional gospel quartet CD.
Fans of gospel quartet music will definitely want to add this project to your collection. We give The Sons of Faith’ “Take It To Jesus” an 8 out of 10. You can purchase a copy by contacting The Sons of Faith at (612) 578-6940 or by visiting their website. Click on the title to hear “God Will Supply.”