By Chad Hayes

Group Name: Firm Foundation Quartet

Website: www.firmfoundationqt.com

Album Title: “Footsteps Of Life”

Song Titles:

1. Already On My Knees
2. God’s Gonna Do You Good
3. All He Wants
4. Nothing Better To Do
5. Nothing But The Cross
6. You Are The Only One
7. No Earthly Reason
8. Still Standin’
9. Free For All
10. This Is The Walk

With 8 years of ministry under its belt, Firm Foundation Quartet is by no means a new group.  However, they are an up-and-coming group that many people are just now hearing about for the first time.  The group consists of Steve Bridgmon (lead/manager), Josh Brown (tenor), Josh Teasley (baritone), and Anthony Davis (bass).

“Footsteps Of Life” is the group’s latest album.  It’s a progressively-styled album with 10 songs from such writers as Marty Funderburk, Dianne Wilkinson, and Buddy Mullins.  Lead vocalist Steve Bridgmon even wrote one of the songs.  Donna Beauvais, formerly of the group Hope’s Call, produced the album along with appearing as a guest vocalist on one of the songs.

Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: THE SONGS!

The first song is the driving, up-tempo “Already On My Knees”.  This song immediately became one of my favorites from the album.  This is a country-flavored number with some excellent vocals.  This is also the first radio release from this album.  The tempo stays the same for the next song, “God’s Gonna Do You Good”.  One of the things that you notice on both the previous song and this one is the depth of bass vocalist Anthony Davis’ range.  He seems to spend most of each song in the “low basement”, and it’s not a bad sound.  The tempo then slows down for the thought-provoking ballad, “All He Wants”.  Tenor vocalist Josh Brown gets the feature/lead here, and his vocals are very smooth.  He also does a good job matching them to the “mood” of the song.

The fourth song features album producer Donna Beauvais as a guest vocalist.  “Nothing Better To Do” is a mid-to-up-tempo song that has a lighter feel than the first two songs.  The verses go back and forth between lead vocalist Steve Bridgmon and Beauvais, and the first chorus is done as a duet with the two of them.  The rest of the quartet joins in on the second chorus.  Bridgmon has a clear tone to his vocal that sets a solid foundation for the group’s sound.  This song is slated to be the second radio release from this album.  Song #5 is another slower ballad called “Nothing But The Cross”.  I dearly love the message conveyed in the lyrics here- nothing is more important or worthy of praise other than the cross of Calvary.  Next up is a driving, mid-tempo song called “You Are The Only One”.  This one has a more contemporary/praise & worship feel to it and features some solid harmonies throughout.  The tempo then picks up for a more traditional-sounding song called “No Earthly Reason”.  Bass vocalist Anthony Davis has the feature/lead here, Anthony has a solid voice, but a couple of his lower solo notes were a bit rough.  This roughness fits in with the overall group blend, but it might be better to keep most of his solos in his middle/higher registers.

Song #8, written by Steve Bridgmon, is another power ballad called “Still Standin’”.  This is a mid-tempo song that gives the group a chance to show off its vocal blend.  The ninth song, “Free For All”, is another mid-tempo song with a more contemporary sound.  The album ends with another up-tempo, country-flavored song called “This Is The Walk”.  I think that this one will be a fan favorite.

This is a very good album- one that Southern Gospel fans need to look at adding to their collection.  This group has a strong lineup of vocalists who know what they can and can’t do, and their song selection and order make the album flow smoothly.  Donna Beauvais did a wonderful job of producing this album and getting the most out of these guys.  If they continue in this direction, they’ll be putting out quality albums for years to come.  Overall, I give this album a rating of 9 ½ out of 10 microphones!

Favorites: “Already On My Knees”, “Nothing Better To Do”, and “Nothing But The Cross”