Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

Dream On
Gaither Music

“Dream On” is offered in two varieties. The CD includes 14 songs recorded in the studio, plus one live cut. The DVD consists of concert footage filmed in Chicago, interviews and other off-stage clips. Jessy Dixon, Chonda Pierce and a youth choir are featured guests on the 95-minute DVD.

Visual elements are always a key ingredient at a concert by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound. The stage layout, lighting, camera angles are creative. The group works the stage but not randomly. Each segment is carefully rehearsed to obtain a maximum response from the audience.

Classics like “The Old Landmark” and “My Heavenly Father Watches Over Me” may have a heightened intensity compared to some previous versions, but the group takes no more liberties than others in the southern gospel camp.

“Reason Enough,” “Since Jesus Passed By” and “A Good Heart” feature smooth harmony in the flat-footed style so many groups strive to achieve. “Right Place, Right Time” and “My Kind of Town” add to the Chicago flavor. These songs are positioned at the beginning and end of the CD, respectively, for a thematic bookend effect. “Are You Enjoying the Show” is a novelty song that’s worthy of a groan or two. “Sundays Are Made for Times Like These” features rural imagery and a country delivery. “Dream On,” “No Unknown Soldiers” and “Out of Bondage” faithfully follow the familiar big ballad formula.

The “Dream On” CD features top-notch production by Lari Goss and Wayne Haun. The DVD adds an expanded selection of material in vivid color. In the past, a few detractors have labeled the music of the quartet as “too contemporary” due to the staged choreography it employs at concerts.

The truth is that its arrangements are firmly rooted in traditional southern gospel, just like other groups produced by Goss or Haun.

— David Bruce Murray