The Perrys - If You Knew Him

I'm sure you will discover as time goes on how emotional I can get about songs.  Not "crying my eyes out" emotional, but a well written, anointed Gospel song can touch me as deep in four minutes as a full sermon can.  A couple weeks ago, it was Greater Vision's You're Not Forsaken.  Yesterday my best friend let me borrow her new Perrys album, Almost Morning.  I was so excited to get to listen to it.  I love their arrangement of This Old Sinner Testifies, and Tracy Stuffle really shows how much of a powerhouse bass singer he is on that track. However, the song that touches my heart very deeply at the moment is If You Knew Him, penned by Rodney Griffin and the Perrys' own Joseph Habedank.

I walked by the tomb of Buddha
Looked inside, and saw his bones.
Traveled on to see Mohammed,
Still wrapped up in his grave clothes.
Then I journeyed to a garden
Where old Joseph left Him lay.
The precious Lamb, God's own begotten,
Was no longer in that grave.

If you knew Him like I know Him
You would know that He's alive.
If you felt Him like I feel Him
Resurrection, deep inside!
You'd know He's living,
And death has died.

If you're wandering in the darkness
Come and step into the light.
Nail scarred hands reach out to help you,
To pull you safe from death to life.
Friend, I, too, have stood where you stand.
Couldn't trust in things unseen,
Just one step in His direction,
Then in Love, He ran to me!

If you knew Him like I know Him

You would know that He's alive.

If you felt Him like I feel Him

Resurrection, deep inside!

You'd know He's living,

And death has died.

You ask me how I know He lives,

He lives within my heart!

If you felt Him like I feel Him

Resurrection, deep inside!

You'd know He's living,

And death has died.

Death has died!

Enjoy the message in this powerful song.

Until next time,

Timothy

Ray Dean Reese - Getting Better With Age!

Well, I am currently listening to the Kingsmen's newest album, Missing People.  Aside from the lyrical content, I am finding Ray Dean Reese's bass vocals more and more fascinating.  To me, Ray is known not necessarily for being a 'deep' bass singer, but having a very rich and smooth voice.  I just love that country accent in addition to those other qualities, but on the latest two albums, Ray has exhibited some Gold City-style bass singing.  For instance, on the old favorite Beautiful Home, Ray would touch the G1 after the second run through the chorus, but only "touch" it.  It was a solid note, but nothing sustained.  On When God Ran, Ray ends tracks one and five with solid, sustained A1s, features an Ab1 on track ten, and finishes off track eight, Sound From The Other Side with a full, sustained G1 for nearly six seconds.  When I heard that note, I had to take a second, third, and even fourth listen.  When I heard that the first time, I thought, "Wow...that's deep for Ray!  Must be around A or so..."  When I played the song out on the keyboard, and realized it was a G1, I was shocked.

I am shocked again by the power and depth of Ray's vocals on Missing People.  I haven't gone through the songs on this album and "mapped out" Ray's ending notes, but he surpasses the G1 from the last album.  On track number two, Someday, Ray cuts loose on a full, powerful Gb1 lasting a full nine seconds.  WOW.  I look forward to what Ray has in store in the future.





After a fun bit of scanning the source code on Amazon's page for the song Missing People (ALL of the tracks for the Missing People album are messed up...the track listing for the song Missing People is actually the forty-seven second reprise of Someday), I have gotten this preview embedded for Someday featuring the Gb1 on the end.  Enjoy!

Timothy

EDIT:  Seems the clip through Amazon is no longer present.  Oh well...  I'll have to learn a new way to post audio clips.