Bill Gaither

Bill and Gloria Gaither have been at this for a few minutes. Together, they've penned a whole original songbook in the Christian pop/praise music/gospel. The Gaither Vocal Band has won many Grammys and Dove (Christian Grammy) awards. After almost 40 years in the "soul" music business, Bill Gaither has released a solo CD. Emanating from the spiritual power of the Homecoming Celebrations, Bill Gaither makes music to fulfill David's admonitions in the psalms, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord."

Critique of Gaither's faith, which is palpable in everything he sings, is inappropriate and irrelevant; it's the "joyful noise" that is important here. First, Bill Gaither is a country gospel singer, not a "soul" gospel singer like Mavis Staples or Sam Cooke. He tells stories like Kris Kristofferson. This isn't sunshine all-the-time gospel music, and it's not about a dualist approach, where the devil and the Redeemer fight it out for your soul. This is small, intimate, personal music, that you don't need belle canto to sing, or the ears of angels to hear. Bill Gaither wishes us all a world where God is evident, present and kind.

"The Family Of God" is a Gaither classic, about community. It's a wonderful sentiment for Thanksgiving season. Bringing people together is the foundation of the Gaither's ministry, and the validation of outcasts and the unworthy is fundamental to Bill's faith. The chorus closes the cut, with the theme of acceptance and unity. Gaither sings more from the voice of experience than the voice of innocence. His resonant baritone speaks eloquently on "The Longer I Serve Him." Perhaps this tune speaks most directly because it impacts Bill Gaither most intimately. There are plenty of "born again" anthems in this genre. It's a joy to hear a hymn to constant faith and a tribute to mature and ongoing revelation.

To suggest a "Greatest Hits" theme sounds a little egotistical, and I believe Gaither wouldn't suggest it, but "You Might Forget The Singer (But You Won't Forget The Song)" is undoubtedly a "greatest hit" for Bill Gaither. The message, that we're all impermanent, but our faith, our culture, our spirits live on, is central to this CD. Gaither writes, "There's a limit to the time we have for singing, it's almost like we're singing in the round." Bill Gaither's ability to find a clean phrase for a simple and unadorned truth is the key to his longstanding success. He's a little bit corny, he's plenty old fashioned, but he speaks from the heart of us all.

There's a time and place for everything. This CD has its timing right in this season. When even the most driven step back, hug the family and smell the turkey, Bill Gaither has a song. None of it sounds new (it's mostly not) but all of it sounds honest and true (it mostly is).

By Dave Morgan