.

Group Name: Southern Heritage
Website: www.southernheritagegospel.com
Album Title: “The Blood Remains”
Song Titles:
1. Jesus Saved My Soul
2. I Have A Bridge
3. New Shoes
4. The Blood Remains
5. Standing In The Presence
6. First One To Get There, Last One To Leave
7. The Great Physician
8. Jesus Knows Just What To Do
9. Robe Of White
10. That One Lamb
11. Campmeeting

Southern Heritage is a Florida-based mixed trio.  Current members are Rose Gilley (alto), her daughter Deana Brown (soprano), and her son-in-law Ben Brown (baritone).  “The Blood Remains” is their second album.  It contains mostly cover songs along with a few originals- one of which is written by Rose Gilley herself.  The cover art of the album is well-done, and the group was kind enough to include the song lyrics inside.

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

The first song is the familiar Southern Gospel tune “Jesus Saved My Soul”.  The blend is pretty good, and the song is fun to listen to.  Next up is a slower up-tempo song called “I Have A Bridge”.    I particularly like the message found in this song.  The tempo stays upbeat for the third song, a Reba Rambo composition called “New Shoes”.  This is the first single release from this album.  I can see why this was picked for radio- it’s a toe-tapper that most Southern Gospel fans will enjoy.  The tempo finally slows down for Song #4, a ballad called called “The Blood Remains”.  This is a song whose message will speak to listeners in a powerful way.

The fifth song, “Standing In The Presence”, is an up-tempo number penned by group member Rose Gilley.  This is a solid, straightforward song that fits the group’s sound well.  Next up is a medium-tempo song with a driving arrangement.  “First One To Get There, Last One To Leave”.  This is a storytelling song with a country flair to it.  Song #7 is another up-tempo song called “The Great Physician”.  I don’t intend to sound mean, but I think that this song would have been better left off of the album simply due to weak songwriting.  Some of the lyrics/rhymes sound a bit forced, as if the writer was trying just a bit too hard.  While the group sings it well, the overall song detracts from the album.  This leads into the album’s second slower ballad, “Jesus Knows Just What To Do”. 

Song #9 is the Gold City classic “In My Robe Of White”.  Maybe I’m a bit biased, but I have yet to hear a group match Gold City’s rendition of this song.  This is one of those songs that will always be compared to the original due to its popularity and familiarity.  I enjoyed Southern Heritage’s version, but I couldn’t help but compare it to Gold City.  The tenth song is a medium-tempo Rebecca Peck tune called “That One Lamb”.  The album ends with a slower, smoother tune that transitions into an up-tempo toe-tapper.  “Campmeeting” is a fun song, but the overall writing is just a bit weak.  It’s got a good message, but the chorus is much stronger than the verses.

The group calls their sound “traditional Southern Gospel”, and that’s exactly what it is.  It’s straightforward, with nothing fancy or showy.  The vocals are solid and in tune, but they could work on their word pronunciation just a bit.  There are a number of strong songs on the album, but they really need to be careful about putting weakly-written songs on their albums that take away from what otherwise would be a strong, solid lineup.  Overall, I would give this album a 7 out of 10 microphones!

Favorites: “I Have A Bridge”, “The Blood Remains”, and “Jesus Knows Just What To Do”