By
Bob Marovich
Don’t
let the flagrant typo on the cover and CD scare you away. This is a case when
the book should not be judged by its cover.
As
they demonstrate on their new Sharp Records CD, Come Too Far, The Golden
Crowns of Louisville, Kentucky, are as good as any of the popular recording
quartets on the road today. Their harmonies are tight, the lead singing
crackles with emotion, the band is strong, though the use of synth in this and
any gospel quartet, regardless of the talent of the player, results in a
polyester sound that pulls from, rather than enhances, the music’s
authenticity.
Nevertheless,
the seven-track EP opens powerfully with the title cut, a crowd-grabbing drive
selection led by the shouting vocals of lead singer Howard McFadden Jr. Riffing
on the “come too far” motive, “Come a Long Way” is sung with plaintive passion.
Other selections traverse similarly traditional quartet territory, interjecting
classic gospel clauses and phrases in songs about gratitude (“Everything I
Have”), mother gone home (“Waiting and Watching”), and the day of one’s
salvation (“Since I Met Jesus”).
The
Golden Crowns give the chestnut, “Where Shall I Be” (aka “Where Shall I Be When
the Last Trumpet Sounds”) a smooth reading, suggesting the calm confidence of
those who are spiritually prepared for the end of days.
The
group’s professionalism is explained during the introduction to a multi-song
retrospective simply called “The Medley.” Here we learn that the Golden Crowns
go back 77 years, first organized in Bowling Green, Kentucky, as the Shanklin
Brothers.
According
to the latest edition of The Gospel Discography, the Golden Crowns made
one 45 each for the Wonderful and BJ labels. Seventy-seven years is a long time
to be on the gospel highway, but here’s hoping that the group’s new CD attracts
the attention of those who can take them the next mile of the way.
Three of Five Stars
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