Help! I don't know which one to buy!
For those of you who are not familiar
with the music of The New Creation Singers, here are some tips from Kent Dalton
(original group member).
Remember that these albums were
recorded in the 70's. If you're used to modern/rock style worship music, then
these albums may sound strange to your ears. The unique strength of these albums
is the fact that the songs are straight from the bible.
The first 3 albums ( I
Will Praise Thee, O Worship the Lord,
The Lord Lives) have simple musical
arrangements consisting of harmonized vocals, guitars, keyboards, and bass,
with the occasional violin, banjo, or harmonica. The arrangements on these albums
sound basically the same as what you would have heard at a live New Creation
concert. The best way I can describe them is that they have a "folk/vocal" style
typical of the late 60's/early 70's… kind of "Peter Paul & Mary"-ish. These
3 albums contain most of The New Creation Singers' "classics"… the core of the
group's repertoire. Members of the group wrote almost all of these songs.
The 4th album, Reality
Road, is the most unique New Creation album in that it does not contain
scripture songs. This album was recorded in 1973 after the group had returned
from two European tours in the midst of the turbulent hippie movement. Ministering
to young people in schools and coffeehouses inspired the group to include evangelistic
songs in their concerts, songs that spoke directly to the issues young people
were facing. Some of these songs were written by Ray Bevan, a young English
man who had received Christ at a New Creation Singers meeting in 1971. Like
the first 3, this album has a "folk" style but with a slight "pop/rock" twist
designed to appeal to 70's youth.
The last 4 albums ( Perfect
Praise, Sweeter Than Honey, New
Every Morning, Refreshing) were
what I call "big-budget studio albums" in that they have a polished, "studio"
sound with musical arrangement, instrumentation, etc. These albums feature full
orchestration including drums, brass, strings, etc. Also, they are all scripture
songs. These albums had bigger studio budgets because they were made at a time
when the group was well established and was receiving Christian radio airplay.
The 5th album, Perfect
Praise, was designed to appeal to children, yet its songs stand on their
own merit. Some of the vocals on this album are by young children. It also features
a "Disneyland style" marching band.
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