Skyline Boys

Worth the Trip
Journey Records

The Skyline Boys sing a little lower than most groups but still keep a conventional baritone-under-lead quartet structure — and that helps create a big, robust sound.

If lead singer Rob Nykamp sounds a bit like a baritone, it could be because he has sung everything from bass to tenor with other groups. The lower arrangements are clearly a style choice — tenor Matt Felts could obviously handle higher assignments. Although he’s featured on several numbers, he really shines on Nancy Click Banfield’s “Broken Vessel,” as both a singer and a communicator. Dennis Powers is a solid bass, who is never adequately showcased on this album.

Tommy Swindle wrote four outstanding songs for this project — “There’s Water in the Well,” “Stand Children Sing,” “It’s Worth The Trip” and my favorite track (another tenor feature), “You’ve Never Been Alone.” Most people will assume that “It’s Worth the Trip” refers to every Christian’s journey — and it probably does. But it could also refer to the long, bumpy road that Powers and the Skyline Boys have traveled over the past few years. I hope that from here on out, “the road will be downhill, with the wind at their back.”