Group Name: Stutzman Family
Website: www.thestutzmanfamily.com
Album Title: “Come Fly With Me”
Song Titles:
1. We Are God’s Church
2. Sing, Sing, Sing
3. Faithful Is Your Name
4. Lord, I Thank You
5. This Country Stands (Because She Kneels)
6. Come Fly With Me
7. You Did It Anyway
8. Stand Up For Christ
9. The Bible Tells Me So
10. Back To One Cross
11. I Already Knew

The Stutzman family has been singing together since 1998. The family consists of Ryan & Heather, along with their 3 daughters: Belinda (16), MaKayla (12), and Rebecca (9).

“Come Fly With Me” is the family’s fifth recording project. The Stutzmans feel that their sound has matured as their daughters have grown older, and this album is the one that they feel brings them to the place where they can begin to introduce themselves to the industry. They have had each of their albums produced by Gerald Wolfe of Greater Vision, and I think that this is a great asset. Gerald is known for quality music, as evidenced by Greater Vision’s sound. They have also gotten some good material from such songwriters as Rebecca Peck, Shane Dunlap, Marty Funderburk, and Rodney Griffin. Heather herself also joins the list of songwriters on this album.

In keeping with the title of the album, the cover design has an airline badge at the top with the letters “TSF” (The Stutzman Family) in the middle. The family name is directly under the badge. The bottom half of the cover pictures the family dressed to match the album’s theme- Heather and the girls are dressed as stewardesses, and Ryan is dressed as a pilot. This theme made even more sense to me when, after reading through their website, I discovered that Ryan works in the field of aviation. I was happy to see the song lyrics included in the album cover, along with another special bonus that makes a CD reviewer’s life a little bit easier: each song also lists what family members are singing on that song as well as who has a solo. A big, hearty “Thank you!” goes out to the family from this reviewer!

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

The album starts off with “We Are God’s Church”, a medium-tempo song featuring a trio of Ryan, Heather, and Belinda. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the harmony and blend amongst family members is some of the most beautiful in any style of music. Belinda takes the lead on this song, and I was immediately impressed with the vocal quality of this young lady. She has a richness to her voice that many adults would love to have. Not only that, but the arrangement and overall sound of this song make it one of my favorites from the album.

Song #2 keeps the tempo pretty much the same and features the entire family. “Sing, Sing, Sing” was written by Shane Dunlap and Marty Funderburk, and it really just seems to fit the family perfectly. Belinda, MaKayla, and Ryan each have small solo parts on this song. The trio of Ryan, Heather, and Belinda next tackles a slower ballad entitled, “Faithful Is Your Name”. Ryan takes the lead and solos here, and he has a smooth baritone voice with good tone at both the upper and lower ends.

The fourth song, “Lord, I Thank You”, gives us a slightly different sound- a ladies’ trio consisting of MaKayla, Belinda, and Heather. This is another slower ballad that features MaKayla on the lead and solo parts. For a 12-year-old young lady, her voice is VERY good. There’s still a little room for maturity- as there would be with anyone of that age. However, she shows herself more than capable here of handling a solo and lead vocals with a voice that is truly more advanced than her years. The tempo stays the same for Song #5, a patriotic song called “This Country Stands (Because She Kneels)”. This song was written by Heather, and it’s the second “Stutzman Family Original” the family has recorded. (It’s also a favorite of mine.) The trio of Ryan, Heather, and Belinda sing here, with Heather and Ryan each taking a verse solo before the first chorus. Belinda then takes the solo on the bridge and the lead parts throughout the rest of the song, giving it a classic “power ballad” feel. Heather is obviously a talented songwriter, as is evidenced by this song. However, I do wish that her voice had been given a bit more volume during her solo on the first verse. It’s a bit soft at times, causing a few of the words to get a bit muddled in with the background music. However, you can definitely hear the quality in her vocals that shows you, without a doubt, where her daughters got a good portion of their singing voices from.

The tempo speeds up for Song #6, “Come Fly With Me”. This uptempo song features the entire family. Belinda takes the lead, and also has the solo on the first part of the second verse. The second part of the second verse features Belinda and MaKayla singing together and unison, and the third part of the second verse is a small solo by the youngest Stutzman, Rebecca. If you listen closely on the choruses, you can hear Ryan singing a solid bass part in the arrangement. He has a much lower range than I originally thought from listening to his earlier solos, and it mixed well with the rest of the family. I would definitely rank this song as a favorite.

Belinda goes solo on the seventh song, another slow song entitled, “You Did It Anyway”. Again, you can’t help but be impressed with the vocals of this 16-year-old young lady. Her 2nd soprano/alto range and her smooth vocals are a perfect fit for this Rebecca Peck song. I had actually thought she sounded a bit like Lauren Talley, and the credits for this song list none other than Lauren Talley as Belinda’s vocal coach! Next in line is a medium-tempo song entitled “Stand Up For Christ”. This song once again features the trio of Ryan, Heather, and Belinda, with Ryan taking the solos and lead vocals.

Song #9 gives us another opportunity to hear 8-year-old Rebecca featured. “The Bible Tells Me So” is an up-tempo, fun song with Rebecca singing the lead and solos while the other family members chime in with echoes and background parts. The family talent is already evident in this little girl- her pitches are spot on, and she sings with confidence. The 10th song, “Back To One Cross”, features Heather on the solo and lead vocals as Ryan and Belinda join her in a trio. The volume of Heather’s vocals is better here, and she provides a solid foundation on the lead part. The arrangement of this song, coupled with the message, makes it a favorite of mine.

The album closes out with another Ryan/Heather/Belinda trio. “I Already Knew” is a slow ballad that features Ryan on the solo and lead vocals. I think that this is Ryan’s best song on the album, and it was a very good choice with which to close out the album.

If you’re looking for the next great family group in Southern Gospel music, then I think you need look no further than the Stutzman Family. Some may regard that as a bold statement, but it’s one that I feel comfortable in making. God has blessed this family with some amazing talent, and it’s wonderful to see them using it for His honor and glory. Ryan and Heather each have good quality to their voices, but their talents have come together especially well in their daughters. Belinda is one of the best 16-year-olds I’ve heard in a long time. She seems to have inherited more of her mother’s range to go along with the power in her father’s voice. MaKayla has more of her father’s upper range to go along with the soft, airy quality of her mother’s voice. She does not sound like many 12-year-olds I’ve heard. 8-year-old Rebecca still has that innocent, childlike quality to her voice, so it’s hard to tell right now which of her parents she sounds like. However, as I said earlier, her pitches and her confidence are already there, and I’m looking forward to hearing her as her voice matures even more. Another of this family’s strengths is their ability to throw out different vocal and personnel arrangements. Variety can be a good thing, and the Stutzmans definitely use this to their advantage. I do admit, though, that I would have liked to hear at least one more medium-tempo or up-tempo song on the album. Six of the album’s eleven songs were slower, ballad-style songs, which are admittedly songs that fit their sound very well. However, they also do well on the faster songs, and I think that a more even mix of song tempos would make the album flow a little better.

This album was a pleasure to review, and I would like to thank the Stutzman Family for allowing me to do so. I will be on the lookout for more of their music, and I highly recommend that you do the same. I can only imagine at this point what their sound will be like as they continue to sing together and as the girls continue to grow and mature. I give this album a rating of 9 out of a possible 10 microphones!

Personal Favorites: “We Are God’s Church”, “This Country Stands (Because She Kneels)”, “Come Fly With Me”, and “Back To One Cross”

Mr. Hayes,
Thank you so much for taking the time to review our CD. We appreciate your prompt reply and helpful comments. We feel so blessed that God sees fit to use us, imperfect as we are!! We look forward to hopefully meeting you someday. Thank you again and may God continue to use you in this great ministry!
Heather Stutzman
The Stutzman Family