Group Name: Shiloh
Website: www.shilohquartet.com
Album Title: “Blessed”
Song Titles:
1. Over And Over Amen
2. My Home In Heaven
3. Hallelujah For The Cross
4. Water Walking
5. I’ve Been Blessed
6. The Prodigal’s Dad
7. Mercy Met Grace
8. Blessed Assurance
9. What A Blessed Joy
10. Love Was The Reason
11. Doxology
12. When The Rains Come

Shiloh is a male quartet based out of the state of Texas. The group has been in
existence since 1995, and they are a full-time ministry. Two of the group’s members have been with the group from the beginning: bass Stanley Luce and tenor Brian White. Baritone Rob Parrott has been with the group for about a year now. The newest member is lead singer Steve Colburn, who just joined the group in April of this year.

“Blessed” is Shiloh’s latest album. As I read through the liner notes, I was rather excited to see that it was produced by Roger Talley. That was my first clue that it was probably going to be a good one. I wasn’t disappointed.

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

The first song is called “Over And Over Amen”. This is an upbeat song with a progressive feel to it. The group seems to blend together well on this song. The bass singer, Stanley Luce, sings the verses solo. He is solid, with the exception of one note that I think was maybe JUST out of his range. He would have been better off, in my opinion, to hit it an octave higher. That way, it would have had a better tone to it instead of being sort of “breathy”. He does, however, hit the last note of the song solidly.

Song #2 is called “My Home In Heaven”. This is another upbeat, progressive-sounding song. Again, the blend is nothing but solid on this song. Tenor Brian White takes the lead on the choruses, and I must say that I am impressed with his voice’s clarity and strength. He also has the lead on the third song, “Hallelujah For The Cross”. This is a slower ballad that shows Shiloh’s ability to smoothly deliver a song.

The fourth song is the medium-tempo “Water Walking”. This is a beautifully-arranged songs with some decidedly modern harmonies incorporated into the vocals. It has fast become one of my favorite songs on the album. This is followed by the fifth song, “I’ve Been Blessed”. Here we have a song with a slight “swing” feel to it. Rob Parrott takes a solo in the middle of the song, and he has a very pleasant sound. Again, the group’s blend is showcased as well.

I am normally a person who favors upbeat songs over ballads, but the sixth song has gripped me since the first time I heard it. It’s a song called “The Prodigal’s Dad”, and it takes a look at the story of the prodigal son from the seldom-examined viewpoint of the father. It’s a powerful song that is done mostly as a lead solo by Steve Colburn with some background vocals by the rest of the group.

The seventh song picks the tempo back up just a bit with “Mercy Met Grace”. This is a medium-tempo that is more of your traditional Southern Gospel fare. Simple arrangement, simple message, and simply well-done by the group.

The eighth song is one that I feel compelled to point out. It’s an arrangement of the familiar hymn “Blessed Assurance”, although arranged in a progressive and upbeat style. I will say that I like the arrangement of the song- it has sort of a “country” flair to it. However, as you listen to it, it soon becomes apparent that it is recorded in a “live album” format. (i.e. comments by the group members in the background, the guys clapping and cheering at the end, etc.) On an album where the other songs are “studio cuts”, this one just doesn’t seem to fit. It would have been better to add this one onto the end as a “bonus cut” of some sort or save it for an actual live album.

“What A Blessed Joy” is the ninth song, and it is one of my favorites as well. This is another upbeat, traditionally-styled song in which Brian White once again takes the lead. He also shows off his range with the note he hits- clearly- on the end of the song. In my opinion, this is one of the strongest songs on the album. This is followed by the tenth song, “Love Was The Reason”, a slower ballad with a beautiful message about Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross of Calvary. The orchestration in the arrangement perfectly fits the powerful lyrics of the song.

If you have read any other of my reviews, you will know that I think a cappella singing truly shows what kind of “chops” a group has. Such is the case with the eleventh song, an arrangement of the tried-and-true “Doxology”. You hear an organ introduction, and then the guys start singing a cappella. I can honestly say that this song impressed me more than any other song on the album. I couldn’t hear a mistake in the vocals at all. Their timing and diction were spot on. If someone had any doubts about this group’s talent, this song alone would dispel those doubts. They pull this song off with the quality of some of today’s top-tier groups.

The final song on the album is a smooth, medium-tempo song called “When The Rains Come”. It starts off with the guys singing (a cappella) the last half of the chorus to the hymn “There Shall Be Showers Of Blessing”, and then the music starts. This song goes back to the progressive feel of earlier songs, with the sound of rain the background of the music and some really nice modern harmonies by the group. I have to say that bass singer Stanley Luce does a very good job of providing the foundation for the harmonies you hear.

The cover art on the album is very clean- the group name, the album title, and a clear picture of the group members. I like for all the song lyrics to be printed in the cover, and Shiloh was kind enough to do just that.

Shiloh is a solid group all around. I really enjoyed this album. It’s nice to hear vocalists who don’t try to sing out of their range. It’s also nice to hear a group that doesn’t see the need to have each singer push his/her limits on every song. Each vocalist was solid, but I was most impressed by the voice tenor singer Brian White. I can understand why his voice is very strong in the mix, but not overpoweringly so. It gives the group a strong sound.

This CD was characterized by an emphasis on blending together, although there were some opportunities for the guys to show off a little bit and for the group to nail some “big endings”. I also liked the use of both progressively-styled and traditionally-styled songs. Overall, this was a very balanced CD. As an overall rating on this particular album, I give them 4 ½ out of a possible 5 microphones!

Personal Favorites: “Water Walking”, “The Prodigal’s Dad”, “What A Blessed Joy”, and “Doxology”

nice to hear a review about this group, Chadley.