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Group Name: Brian Free & Assurance
Website: www.brianfreeandassurance.com 
Album Title: “Worth It”
Song Titles:

1. There Is A Kingdom Coming
2. Go Tell The World
3. Die Another Day
4. You Must Have Met Him
5. Preachin’ To The Choir
6. Worth It
7. Nothing Takes You By Surprise
8. Not One
9. I Am Redeemed
10. A New Thing
11. When The Mountains Will Not Move

There’s no doubt that Brian Free & Assurance is one of the premier Southern Gospel groups in the country today.  This award-winning Daywind group has one of the most distinctive sounds that you will hear.  The group consists of Brian Free (tenor/owner), Bill Shivers (lead), Derrick Selph (baritone), and Jeremy Lile (bass).

“Worth It” is the group’s latest album, coming on the heels of the highly-successful “Real Faith” album.  The style is definitely a continuation of the progressive direction they’ve been pursuing for a few years now.

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

The group begins the album with an a cappella number entitled “There Is A Kingdom Coming”.  It starts off with one voice, and then adds a second harmony vocal before adding the last two voices on the chorus.  The vocals are tight and flawless, and bass vocalist Jeremy Lile is much more prominent in the mix than he was on any part of the previous album.  I love it when a group puts an a cappella song on an album.  To me, it’s the ultimate test of their vocal blend.  The next song is an up-tempo number called “Go Tell The World”.  Again, the vocals are flawless, and the message contained in the lyrics is strong and straightforward- something that is sometimes lacking in songs today.  The tempo then slows down for the third song, a medium-tempo power ballad called “Die Another Day”.  This is the first radio single from this album, and I think that it will get a very favorable response from listeners. 

The fourth song is an up-tempo song with a slight country feel.  “You Must Have Met Him” sounds like a song that Rascal Flatts might put on one of their albums, and it has fast become my absolute favorite song from this CD.  In fact, I think that the group would do well to make this their next single release to radio.  Simply put, it’s an awesome song- both musically and lyrically.  The tempo stays the same for the next song, “Preachin’ To The Choir”.  Baritone vocalist Derrick Selph is featured here, and I like the vocal arrangements throughout this song.  The tempo then slows down for the album’s title track, “Worth It”.  This is the first song to feature bass vocalist Jeremy Lile, and he has a nice tone and a good range for a bass.  He didn’t get much in the way of features on the previous album, so it’s nice to get a taste of why he was hired for the bass position.  He fits the group perfectly.  This song is a lot softer than the other songs on the album, showing off the group’s versatility.  Then, Derrick is once again featured on Song #7, a medium-tempo ballad called “Nothing Takes You By Surprise”. 

The eighth song is another slower ballad called “Not One”.  Lead vocalist Bill Shivers is featured here, and his vocals are smooth and clear.  The tempo continues in this slower vein for the next song, “I Am Redeemed”.  Brian Free has the feature here, and it’s the classic Brian Free sound that his fans have come to love.  The tempo then picks back up for Song #10, “A New Thing”.  This is an up-tempo song that I know listeners will enjoy.  The album then ends with bass vocalist Jeremy Lile being featured on another up-tempo song, “When The Mountains Will Not Move”.

This is, without a doubt, an album that needs to be in the collection of anyone who loves Southern Gospel music.  Brian Free has assembled what I would call a “powerhouse group”.  I have long considered Bill Shivers as one of the best lead vocalists in the industry.  Baritone Derrick Phelps has an excellent voice, and Jeremy Lile is a bass who understands that lower is not always better.  Their blend is one of the tightest in Southern Gospel, and their songs have a lyrical power and strength that is sorely needed these days.  Overall, I would give this album a perfect rating of 10 out of 10 microphones!

Favorites: “There Is A Kingdome Coming”, “Go Tell The World”, “Die Another Day”, and “You Must Have Met Him”