Group Name: The Melody Boys Quartet
Website: www.themelodyboysquartet.com
Album Title: “Classics Countdown”
Song Titles:
1. He’s My King
2. Take A Moment And Live
3. If Jesus Is There
4. He Will Surely Make It All Right
5. Way Up In Glory Land
6. He Wrote My Name
7. What A Meeting In The Air
8. I’d Rather Be An Old-Time Christian
9. Just A Little Farther Is Home, Sweet Home
10. How Great Thou Art

The Melody Boys Quartet is one of the longest-running quartets in Southern Gospel Music today. The front page of their website says, “A Gospel music tradition since 1949”. Some truly great singers have passed through this group throughout the years. The quartet is owned and managed by arguably one of the smoothest bass singers in Southern Gospel Music, Mr. Gerald Williams. He has been with the Melody Boys since 1949. Joining him are baritone/pianist Caleb Matheny, lead singer Terry Robertson, and tenor Scott Baker. All 3 of these men are relatively new to the group, having all come on board sometime in 2006.

“Classics Countdown” is the latest project by the Melody Boys, and it is the first with the new group of Williams, Matheny, Robertson, and Baker. It is just what the title says- a collection of Southern Gospel classics from days gone by. The Melody Boys have a tradition of singing Southern Gospel music in the classic, traditional style, and this album is no exception. In keeping with the theme of the album, the songs are numbered from 10-1 on the CD and on the CD cover rather than being numbered from 1-10. Three of the songs are done with “full band production”- piano, acoustic bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and drums. The other seven songs are done in “classic piano style”- nothing but the piano accompanying the vocals. Caleb Matheny plays the piano on the album for these 7 songs, ensuring that what you hear on the album is what you would hear in a concert.

The cover of the album is clean, simple, and uncluttered. There is a picture of the group standing in “traditional quartet order”- from left to right: tenor, lead, baritone, and bass- in front of what looks like an old country church. I am always happy when a group puts the song lyrics inside the CD cover, and the Melody Boys do just that with this album. They also tell you which songs are done with “full band production” and which songs are done in “classic piano style”.

Now, let’s take a look at each of the songs on the album.

The album starts out with the slightly upbeat “He’s My King”. This is the first song done with “full band production”. This song is done in classic quartet harmony complete with a bass descant by Gerald Williams. He also gets to show off his range with a classic bass walkdown. This is immediately followed by the slightly upbeat “Take A Moment And Live”. This one is given the “classic piano style” treatment, and it once again showcases the harmonies and blend of the group.

Staying with the “classic piano style”, the third song is the classic Vep Ellis tune “If Jesus Is There”. The tempo doesn’t change much here from the previous song, and the vocalists are still singing as a group- no solos. They go back to the “full band production” for the fourth song, an old tune by Lee Roy Abernathy called “He Will Surely Make It All Right”. The tempo slows down a bit here, and the chorus gives you another taste of Gerald Williams’ rich bass vocals as he takes the lead with the other guys singing background.

Song #5 sees a return to the “classic piano style” with “Way Up In Glory Land”. This is another upbeat song that is done very well by the group. Next comes the last “full band production” song, the slightly upbeat “He Wrote My Name”. Here we get to hear tenor Scott Baker take the lead on the chorus while the others sing background. The other guys get some short solo parts as well so that you can hear the quality of their voices as well.

From here on out, the songs are all done in “classic piano style”.

Song #7 is “What A Meeting In The Air”. This is another slightly upbeat number that sees Caleb Matheny take the lead on the choruses. Song #8 is the Albert E. Brumley tune “I’d Rather Be An Old-Time Christian”. Lead singer Terry Robertson and tenor Scott Baker get solos on this song. The ninth song is a Joe Roper tune entitled “Just A Little Farther Is Home, Sweet Home”. The tempo stays in the slightly upbeat range for this one, and the blend of the group is particularly good here.

The last song is the only true “slow song” on the album. Gerald Williams is featured on the sacred hymn “How Great Thou Art”. He has a very good range to his voice, and it’s easy to see why he’s considered one of Southern Gospel’s best basses.

Fans of traditional-style quartet singing will enjoy this album very much. I very much enjoyed hearing these songs sung with just simple accompaniment. Don’t get me wrong- I like progressive Southern Gospel as well, but I was raised on traditional music such as the Melody Boys specialize in. I can also appreciate the work and dedication that the Melody Boys put into their singing. The Melody Boys do some complex arrangements, and I know that Gerald Williams is a stickler for quality in his music. I think that many could learn from him in that area. Also, I was impressed with Caleb Matheny’s piano playing. For a young man, he has a good sense of what accompaniment best complements the vocals and the song style. Finally, there’s no question that each man in the group has a quality voice, and they don’t try to sing out of their range.

There are only a couple of things that I think would have made this album better. A couple of times, the blend of voices wasn’t as even as I’d like it to be- certain voices would stand out over the others. However, this being a new arrangement of the group, I think that this will be taken care of as the group has more time to completely “gel”. Therefore, this is very understandable. Secondly, I personally would have liked to see a little more variety in the tempos of the songs. At least one “barn burner” style song and one more slow ballad-type would have been perfect.

In closing, it was a privilege to review this album. If you are looking for quality traditional quartet music, then you need to look no further than the Melody Boys Quartet. Overall, I think that this album deserves a rating of 4 out of a possible 5 microphones!

Personal Favorites: “He’s My King”, “If Jesus Is There”, “He Wrote My Name”, and “I’d Rather Be An Old-Time Christian”

Chad, thank you for taking the time to review TMBQ's new CD! I appreciate that fact that it is obvious you spent a great deal of time actually listening to the project. I also appreciate your positive, balanced, honest review. I printed the review to take to the gentleman Saturday night since they were at my home Church at the end of their long western tour. They each appreciated and enjoyed your review and even agreed with your "constructive criticism". Of course, I truly love this new CD and have it playing almost continuously! I can not wait for everyone to hear and see them "in person". The new material is going over extremely well in concerts. Thanks again!

Great review, Chad. The Melody Boys have been one of my favorite groups since I first saw them at the Grand Ole Gospel Reunion several years ago.

Gayla, I can't wait to see the new 'Boys' in August.