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Group Name: Stutzman Family
Website: www.thestutzmanfamily.com
Album Title: “Life Stories”
Song Titles:

1. The Story Of My Life
2. Somewhere In My Past
3. Tell Me The Story Of Jesus
4. I Know Which Boat To Ride (w/ special guest Gordon Mote)
5. These Stones
6. Your Wall Is About To Fall
7. Moment Of Prayer
8. I Was Glad
9. I Simply Love You
10. He’ll Do Something Special
11. Washing The Feet
12. Whenever, Wherever, Whatever

Since 1998, the Stutzman Family has been singing Southern Gospel music together.  The family consists of Ryan, his wife Heather, and their three daughters: Belinda, MaKayla, and Rebecca.

I was first introduced to the Stutzman Family’s music last year and was impressed with their sound.  So, I was excited to be given the opportunity to review their latest album, “Life Stories”.  It contains 12 songs done in varying styles.  In a change from recent albums, this album was produced and arranged by Donna Beauvais, formerly of the group Hope’s Call.  The album cover looks like the cover of an old family album, in keeping with the album title.  Inside, there’s a page of pictures followed by a family-album-style page for each member of the family.  Finally, the last two pages contain the song lyrics and- just like their previous album- a listing of which combination of vocalists sings each song along with the featured vocalist.  Again, a hearty thanks from this reviewer for making the review easy to do!

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

Kicking things off is the up-tempo title track of the album, “The Story Of My Life”.  Belinda takes the lead here, and she is joined by Ryan, Heather, and MaKayla.  This was an excellent choice for the album’s first release to radio.  The vocal blend is tight, and Belinda’s lead vocals are strong and clear.  It’s clear from this first song that the Stutzman family has taken a big step forward musically.  Next up is a slower, medium-tempo power ballad called “Somewhere In My Past”.  The vocalists are the same as on the previous song, but Ryan takes the lead this time.  The lyrics to this song are powerful, and Ryan’s lead vocals are smooth.  I have noticed, between this album and their previous one, that Ryan has a good-sized range to his voice.  The ladies sound beautiful on the background harmonies as well.  The third song is an old familiar Fanny Crosby hymn called, “Tell Me The Story Of Jesus”.  Heather, Belinda, and MaKayla tackle this acoustically-arranged song as a ladies trio, and the sound is a joy to listen to.  Song #4 speeds the tempo back up as Gordon Mote joins the family on “I Know Which Boat To Ride”.  Ryan takes the lead once again, while Gordon is featured on the second verse.

The fifth song is a slower ballad entitled “These Stones”.  Ryan takes the lead again, backed up by Heather, Belinda, and MaKayla.  The lyrics of this song paint a powerful picture with a strong message.  The tempo picks up again with the next song, “Your Wall Is About To Fall”.  Belinda is back on lead here, backed up by Ryan, Heather, and MaKayla.  This song would be a good choice for a future radio release.  Song #7 was co-written by Heather Stutzman and Rebecca Peck-Thomas.  “Moment Of Prayer” is a slower ballad that features Heather, with Ryan and Belinda backing her.  Heather’s lead and solo vocals are clear and strong, with a lighter feel that is perfect for this song.  Next up is an up-tempo song with a slight praise and worship feel.  Ryan, Heather, Belinda, and MaKayla come together to sing “I Was Glad”.  Belinda takes the lead on the first verse, and MaKayla takes her first solo on the second verse.  MaKayla’s voice has begun to take on the richer alto sound similar to Belinda’s, only maybe a slight bit more toward the alto side.  I look forward to hearing her featured some more on future projects.

Belinda is featured solo on Song #9, a slow ballad called “I Simply Love You”.  I really liked the simple piano and string accompaniment to this song, and Belinda imparts a great deal of feeling into her vocals.  The youngest Stutzman daughter, Rebecca, is then featured on a song called “He’ll Do Something Special”.  Here we get a taste of a “sister’s trio” with Belinda and MaKayla backing her.  Rebecca’s voice has matured since their previous recording, and she has the makings of a fine female vocalist.  The eleventh song is a slower power ballad called “Washing The Feet”.  Ryan takes the lead again, backed up by Heather, Belinda, and MaKayla.  Again, the vocals are tight and strong.  Finally, the album ends with a medium-tempo song that I first heard done by the group Cross 4 Crowns.  Ryan, Heather, Belinda, and MaKayla come together for a nice rendition of “Whenever, Wherever, Whatever”.  It starts off with an a cappella chorus before the music kicks in for the first verse.  I actually like their version of this song better than the one by Cross 4 Crowns, and it’s a nice ending to the album.

I said in my previous Stutzman family review that they could be the next great family group in Southern Gospel.  Nothing on this album has changed my opinion one bit.  Vocally and musically, this album is a nice step forward from their previous one.  Whereas most of the songs on the previous album were done by a trio of Ryan, Heather, and Belinda, the majority of the songs on this album were done by a quartet of Ryan, Heather, Belinda, and MaKayla.  I was a bit disappointed to find that Rebecca sang only one song on this album, and I’m looking forward to the time when she joins the family on more songs.  Still, the song selection was very strong overall, and there was a variety of sounds, styles, and tempos throughout the album.  This is an album that needs to be in the collection of anyone who loves good Southern Gospel music.  Overall, I would give this album a perfect rating of 10 out of 10 microphones!

Favorites: “The Story Of My Life”, “Somewhere In My Past”, “Tell Me The Story Of Jesus”, “These Stones”, and “I Was Glad”