Groups’ Names: Jeff & Sheri Easter, Easter Brothers, and Lewis Family
Website: www.jeffandsherieaster.com, www.easterbrothers.com, and www.thelewisfamilymusic.com
Album Title: “We Are Family”
Song Titles:
1. They’re Holding Up The Ladder
2. Slippers With Wings
3. In God’s Hands
4. Hearts That Will Never Break Again
5. Purple Robe
6. Roses Will Bloom Again
7. We Are Family
8. Thank You Lord For Your Blessings On Me
9. I Need You
10. Hallelujah Turnpike

The artists featured on this album truly are family.  Jeff & Sheri Easter combine their music with the Easter Brothers (Jeff’s family) and the Lewis Family (Sheri’s family).  All of these artists are well-known in the bluegrass Gospel realm, and bringing them all together for a family album is a nice touch. 

“We Are Family” features songs that each of the groups is known for, as well as one new song written by Woody Wright just for this recording.  The album can be found in stores beginning on Tuesday, March 4, 2008.

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

The first song is the old standard, “They’re Holding Up The Ladder”.  This is an up-tempo song that is a personal favorite of mine.  I’ve had the privilege of hearing both Southern Gospel and bluegrass Gospel artists perform this song, and it puts a smile on my face each time.  The Lewis Family is known for the second song on the album, a medium-tempo song called “Slippers With Wings”.  The vocals are solid here, and this ballad will pull at your heartstrings as you listen.  The tempo speeds up for the next song, “In God’s Hands”.  This is another song with solid vocals, and it has a message that every Christian needs to hear.

Song #4 is a medium-tempo number entitled “Hearts That Will Never Break Again”.  It’s nice to hear a piano utilized in a bluegrass song- it seems that this isn’t done as often as it should be or could be.  The tempo stays the same for the next song, “Purple Robe”.  This is a perfect song for the season in which the album is being released, as it tells the story of Jesus’ crucifixion.  However, there’s one thing that I must mention here.  On the second verse of this song, one of the vocalists is singing in the background while another of the vocalists is speaking the exact same words over top of her.  All in all, this makes for a confusing verse to listen to, and it would have been better to have done one or the other- either speaking or singing- instead of both.  The sixth song is one that Jeff & Sheri Easter are known for.  “Roses Will Bloom Again” is a smooth ballad-style song that has become a standard over the years.

Song #7 is the original song that Woody Wright wrote just for this recording.  It’s an up-tempo song called “We Are Family”, and it’s the title track for this album.  I have to admit that I like the sound of this particular song, and I think that Mr. Wright hit the nail on the head when he wrote this song for this particular recording.  The next song is an Easter Brothers classic.  “Thank You Lord For Your Blessings On Me” is a slower/medium-tempo song with a very strong message.  It reminds us to be grateful to the Lord for anything and everything He has given to us.

Song #9 has an up-tempo, slightly progressive sound.  “I Need You” will have you clapping your hands and tapping your feet as you listen.  This song also contains some of the best vocals on the entire album.  Closing things out is a classic, up-tempo bluegrass song called “Hallelujah Turnpike”. 

It seems that bluegrass Gospel music is one of those things that a person either loves or hates.  I have always professed to have a love for bluegrass music- it’s what I was raised on.  I would say that this album has one major strong point and one weak point.  The strong point, as with bluegrass music in general, is the instrumentation.  The instrument work done by the groups is first-rate.  I could listen to banjos, fiddles, basses, guitars, etc. all day long when they’re played with this kind of quality.  However, the one weak point would have to be most of the vocals.  Again, this is something that bluegrass music seems to be known for.  Most of the complaints I hear from people who don’t like bluegrass music center around the vocals.  I’m not saying the vocals are horrible, but I think that this album has fallen into the standard bluegrass Gospel pattern of combining very strong instrumentation with weaker vocals.  Some of this can be overlooked as a stylistic thing, but the vocals could have still been a bit stronger overall.  In closing, taking all things into consideration, I would give this album a rating of 7 out of a possible 10 microphones!

Favorites: “In God’s Hands”, “Roses Will Bloom Again”, and “I Need You”