Group Name: One Voice
Website: www.onevoicegospeltrio.com
Album Title: “Travelin’ On”
Song Titles:
1. Jerusalem
2. Battlefield
3. It Won’t Be Long
4. Love Signed My Pardon
5. Calvary Red
6. Blessed Joy
7. He Didn’t Throw The Clay Away
8. That Somebody Is Jesus
9. What A Day
10. Feel Like Traveling On
One Voice is a mixed trio consisting of Brenda Grasty, Chris Powell, and April Wingler. They are based in the great state of North Carolina. (Yes, as a native North Carolinian I am a bit biased!) This brief snippet from their website will give you a good introduction to the group: “To Chris Powell, Brenda Grasty, and April Wingler, Gospel music is a lifestyle that all 3 members of "One Voice" are very familiar with, their families having sung and played gospel music for three generations. All were raised in a full gospel environment with a father/grandfather who has been a Pentecostal Holiness pastor for over 50 years. With a lifetime of involvement in church music and ministry, they play several musical instruments, including piano, organ, keyboard, bass guitar, drums, trumpet, and accordion.” This is a family group- each of the three members is related to each other. This produces that “family blend” of voices that is so pleasant to listen to.
The first song on the album is “Jerusalem”. Yes, this is the same song made famous by the Hoppers. It’s a good album-opener, and I honestly prefer One Voice’s way of singing it more than I do the Hoppers’. Their harmony is impeccable, and it’s evident that they work on things like diction and pronunciation. These “little” things help the songs to be very easily understood.
The second song, “Battlefield”, slows things down a bit as we get to hear Chris Powell take the lead. His voice is smooth, powerful, and is an excellent foundation for the group’s sound on this song.
The third song is probably my favorite of all the songs on the album. It’s an upbeat number entitled “It Won’t Be Long”. April Wingler takes the lead on this one, and her clear voice is just the right touch for this song. The arrangement is catchy, with a lot of cool piano licks thrown in. As they sing this, I can just imagine the day that our Savior returns to take us home!
Brenda Grasty’s rich alto voice is featured on “Love Signed My Pardon”, a slower ballad that beautifully tells of Jesus’ love for mankind. This song is followed by another slower ballad called “Calvary Red”. This song focuses on the shed blood of our Savior, as it tells us that “the color of love is Calvary red.”
The sixth song is “Blessed Joy”. (as performed by the Whisnants) Here the tempo speeds back up as Chris Powell again takes the lead. This is followed by an old Southern Gospel favorite- “He Didn’t Throw The Clay Away”.
The eighth song on this album is called “That Somebody Is Jesus”. This is a medium-tempo song that shows off the tight harmony this group can pull off with seemingly little effort. This is followed by the very familiar “What A Day”, a song found in most church hymnals.
The album ends with the tenth and last song, “Feel Like Traveling On”. This upbeat song is the title track for the album, and is another “old favorite” that fans of Southern Gospel music can sing right along with. Again, some cool piano licks are thrown into the arrangement, and the group’s blend is as tight as it can be.
I have really come to enjoy this group as I have listened through this album. I am particularly impressed that none of the singers tries to sing outside of their range at any point. The mark of a good group is that they know the abilities of each singer, and they make those abilities fit the overall group sound. Also, it’s very evident even from the recording that One Voice enjoys what they sing. So, as an overall rating, I give them 4 microphones! I would encourage you to give this group a listen- you will definitely be blessed.
Personal Favorites: “Jerusalem”, “It Won’t Be Long”, and “Feel Like Traveling On”