Group Name: Dills
Website: www.thedills.net
Album Title: “Uncommon”
Song Titles:
1. I Will Go The Distance
2. Fight To The Finish
3. I Carried His Cross
4. To Worship You
5. The Closer I Get To The Cross
6. The Sound Of His Voice
7. Uncommon
8. Wonder Working Power
9. God Will Go

Brothers Shawn and Tim Dill have been involved in Gospel music in some way for over 20 years.  The two began singing with their parents around the age of seven.  Together with their wives, LeAnn and Bridget, they make up The Dills. 

“Uncommon” is the group’s latest album.  It has a contemporary/progressive Southern Gospel feel to it that I think many listeners will enjoy.  I find it interesting that the album only has 9 songs, especially in a day where 10-11 songs are closer to the norm for Southern Gospel albums.  Writers who have contributed songs include Joel Lindsey, Tony Wood, Wayne Haun, Scott Krippayne and Rebecca Peck.  I like the simple, clear album cover, which contains head shots of all the group personnel along with the album and group name.  I only wish that they had included the song lyrics inside.

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

“I Will Go The Distance” is a medium-tempo song that I first heard the Martins do on their “Above It All” album.  The Dills’ version features Shawn on lead vocals, and he does a good job on the song.  His range is similar to that of a lead singer in a male quartet.  I think that, overall, I like the Martins’ version of this song just a bit better, but the Dills’ version is still a quality song.  Song #2 is a hard-driving, up-tempo song called “Fight To The Finish”.  Bridget is featured here, and she has a strong voice with an “attitude” fits this type of song perfectly.

The third song slows things down as we hear Tim featured on “I Carried His Cross”.  He seems to have a slightly higher range than Shawn, allowing the group to stack their vocals under his.  This leads into an up-tempo song entitled “To Worship You”.  I especially like the instrument work in the accompaniment of this song.  LeeAnn is featured here, and her voice is just a bit lower and richer than Bridget’s.  However, it has that same “attitude” that is a good match for up-tempo songs.  Next up is a slower ballad entitled “The Closer I Get To The Cross”.  Shawn is featured here once again.  I think that his voice is more suited to taking the lead on this style of song than on a more up-tempo song.  Here we get to hear how smooth his voice can be.

Tim is featured on the sixth song, a medium-tempo offering entitled “The Sound Of His Voice”.  He shows off his lower range a bit here, and it sounds solid.  This song sort of fits into the “power ballad” category for this album.  Song #7 is the album’s title track, “Uncommon”.  This medium-tempo song features Bridget, and it has an acoustic accompaniment that fits the song well.  Bridget gets to show off a smoother side to her voice that is pleasant to hear.

The tempo speeds back up again for Song #8, “Wonder Working Power”.  LeeAnn is featured on this up-tempo number.  The album ends on an up-tempo note, with Tim being featured on “God Will Go”. 

My first exposure to the Dills was, overall, good.  I enjoyed what I heard from this album, and I actually found myself wishing for another song or two.  Song selection was a strength of this album.  Each song had a clear message, and there was a good variety of styles and tempos.  Individually, each member is a solid vocalist, and the blend is pretty much the same no matter who has the lead vocals or how the other voices are arranged.  The blend isn’t extremely tight, but it’s tight enough to produce a quality sound.  At times, though, it sounds like they would do well to relax a bit while they’re singing- there are a couple of times where it sounds like they’re concentrating a bit too much on their notes, vocal moves, etc.  Overall, I would recommend that anyone who is a fan of progressive Southern Gospel music give the Dills a good listen.  They will not be disappointed.  I would give this album a rating of 8 1/2 out of a possible 10 microphones!

Favorites: “Fight To The Finish”, “The Closer I Get To The Cross”, and “Uncommon”