Well...it's been a while since I've posted. Might as well address some Southern Gospel news. Steve Ladd's new album has come out, featuring some wonderful tracks from my favorite Gold City tenor. On the self-titled album, Steve covers several new songs, but also covers two of his Gold City songs, I'll Walk On, and When Jesus Saves.
I must say, though, my favorite song on the album is My Petition, a lovely track about a boy going door-to-door with a petition to the President, "with a list numbered one to ten, it said: Make a law where daddies don't work late, keep Uncle Joe and those soldiers safe, give those kids on TV all they want to eat. Put a stop to bullies on the bus. No crime, no AIDS, no hate, no drugs. Give a jacket and a job to people on the street. I said, 'Son, that sounds like a world I'd like to live in,' and I signed his petition." I encourage you to check the album out. I don't think you will be disappointed! Steve has such wonderful vocal ability and a way to communicate lyrics that I just love, and this album displays that very well.
That album was actually the reason I recently downloaded iTunes, but I have also made a couple recent purchases of a talented quartet in Oregon. Rescue is an a capella gospel quartet, and between 2001 and 2004, Tim Storms sang bass with them. If you don't recognize the name, Tim Storms currently holds two world records, one for the lowest recorded vocal note (8Hz, or the C two octaves below the lowest C on a grand piano), and for widest male vocal range, six and a half octaves, if I remember correctly. I believe that is just chest voice, too...NOT falsetto. Comparatively I have a five octave range with falsetto, roughly three and a half octaves in chest voice. Anyway... Tim currently sings bass with Pierce Arrow in Branson, along with former lowest-bass-record holder Dan Britton, who sang down to a still-staggering 16Hz, or the C one octave below the lowest C on the grand piano.
Anyway. Back to Rescue. In 2003, the group released The Difference, a wonderful ten-track album that I love listening to. In 2008, Before The Throne was released. I purchased those two yesterday and have been listening to them nearly exclusively since then. Even though Tim Storms left in 2004, the bass vocalist on Before The Throne still posseses stellar depth and range. Both albums feature great vocal percussion by Brandon Bell. It took me a few listens on many tracks to realize that the drums were NOT a drumset, but a human voice. Outstanding! For a nice demo of Tim Storms vocals, though, take a minute to watch this video of him singing That Lonesome Road from their reunion DVD.
Until next time,
Timothy
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Hmmmm...maybe it's just me, but I'm kind of losing the note when he goes LOW-LOW. It doesn't sound like a musical note to me down there--great car-purring imitation, but not a note. Me, I think it should only "count" when you can discern a clear pitch. Just my opinion. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree. That is actually the reason Tim Riley of Gold City rarely dips below G1. Partially to keep the same quality live as he has on recordings, and also because "anything below G1 is just noise." It's true. I am sure Storms is hitting legitimate notes there. It's a full chest note, and correct on the frequency/pitch, but at that point, it's just "noise".
ReplyDeleteI should add though, that Tim's range is very impressive. Honestly, I'm more impressed by his ability to sing nice and clear in the upper range. Not every bass can do that--some sound thin or strained, like they're not comfortable up there. He acts like it's no big deal.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I agree! I assume that's possibly why he's so quiet in the lower range, because he puts the same emphasis on the upper and lower. I mean, he hits a Gb4 with ease, and smacks down to a B0 a minute later. Pretty wild. However, if he hit 8Hz (C-1), that would put the top of his range somewhere around F5 or G5 (6 1/2 octaves). Absolutely ridiculous. That may be with falsetto, then, because I can't sing far above C4 (middle C) without popping into falsetto, and this man is pure bass. The center of his range is still in the "bass" sector. Who knows, though. If it's F5 in chest voice, I'm VERY impressed.
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