Title: "Breakin' Chains"
Description: Three Bridges
Chadley - May 25, 2007 10:16 PM (GMT)
Group Name: Three Bridges
Website: www.threebridges.net
Album Title: “Breakin’ Chains”
Song Titles:
1. It Took
2. Every Day It Starts All Over Again
3. Don’t Let Go
4. Wait On That Mountain To Move
5. Bless Your Holy Name Again
6. Breakin’ Chains
7. Can’t Believe My Eyes
8. He Took The Cross
9. Arms Of Love
10. I Didn’t Think It Could Be
Three Bridges hasn’t been around for very long, but they’ve already made a big mark in the world of progressive Southern Gospel Music. Consisting of Elliot McCoy (baritone), Mitch Kenitzer (lead), and Dave McVay (tenor), Three Bridges has already been nominated for several notable industry awards in the past few years.
“Breakin’ Chains” is the group’s latest offering. It’s progressive sounds will catch the listener’s ear and deliver the message in a clear and concise fashion. The cover of the album sports a clear picture of the guys directly under the group name and album name. As I looked inside the cover, I was happy to see the song lyrics included.
Now, let’s take a look at each of the songs on the album.
The album starts off with an up-tempo song called “It Took”. Lead singer Mitch Kenitzer has a Russ Taff-style voice, only a bit smoother. It fits this song perfectly. This leads into the second song, the medium-tempo “Every Day It Starts All Over Again”. This song has simple acoustic accompaniment in the background, and the message is one of encouragement.
“Don’t Let Go” is the third song, and it’s the first slow ballad of the album. The song features an electric guitar prominently and builds to a hard-driving sound on the chorus. The blend of vocals is very clean and crisp, although I have trouble at times hearing Elliot McCoy’s baritone part. Still, this song ranks as one of my favorites on the album. Song #4 is called “Wait On That Mountain To Move”. It has a similar arrangement to that of the previous song, only this one has a faster tempo.
The tempo slows down again for the fifth song, a beautiful ballad entitled “Bless Your Holy Name Again”. It sounds as though tenor Dave McVay has the lead vocals on this song, even though the verses are split between he and Elliot. Dave has a strong tenor voice, but he needs to be careful at times not to overpower the others. Song #6, the album’s title track, is the upbeat and driving “Breakin’ Chains”. This song just seems to resonate well with me, making it another of my favorites from the album.
Song #7 is a medium-tempo song that once again features an electric guitar fairly prominently in the arrangement. “Can’t Believe My Eyes” probably showcases the group’s blend the best of any song on the album. It’s one of those songs where there are no solos and the group sings together throughout. The tempo is slowed down by the eighth song, “He Took The Cross”. This is another beautiful ballad whose message will grip the listener.
“Arms Of Love”, the ninth song, is a medium-tempo song that once again really focuses on the vocal blend as the centerpiece of the song. The arrangement of this one is simpler than most of the album’s other songs, and it has quickly become another of my favorites. The tempo stays pretty much the same as the album closes with “I Didn’t Think It Could Be”. The rhythm of the drums is a prominent feature of this song, and yet you can clearly hear all three vocal parts.
I’ve been a fan of Three Bridges for about a year now, and this album is not a disappointment at all. In fact, I rank it near the top of all their albums to date. There is a good mix of styles and tempos, and the messages in the songs are clear, encouraging, and challenging. The only thing I would really say that could have been better was the blend of voices. At times, the baritone part was almost non-existent in the mix. When you could hear all three parts equally, the blend was very nice and pleasant to listen to. I will say that I was very impressed with the range of tenor Dave McVay. I think that this album pushed him a bit more than their past albums have, and he responded very well.
I would like to thank Three Bridges for the opportunity to review this album. I would definitely recommend that any fan of progressive Southern Gospel have this album in their collection. Overall, I would give this album a rating of 8 1/2 out of a possible 10 microphones!
Personal Favorites: “Don’t Let Go”, “Breakin’ Chains”, and “Arms Of Love”