Dove Brothers

Decennial
Sonlite Crossroads

“Decennial” celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Dove Brothers (who actually released their first CD in 1998). Eight cuts on this CD are remakes of songs recorded when John Rulapaugh and Burman Porter were in the group. “When I Move to Hallelujah Square,” “One Step” and “Let the Old Man Die” were on “Pure Tradition,” the first CD they distributed on a major label. “Just Another Hill,” “Gonna Rise,” “Sweet Baby Girl,” “Didn’t It Rain” and “Get Away Jordan” complete the list of remakes. The newly recorded music tracks feature Danny Crawford, David Johnson, Jeremy Medkiff and Tony Creasman.

Two titles on “Decennial” were not recorded previously by the Dove Brothers. “Anyway” is a cover of Martina McBride’s hit featuring Jerry Martin. “My Life” is a Ronnie Milsap song that features McCray Dove in full country crooner mode. Martin’s ballad is stylistically similar to “I Can Pray” and “A Little Good News.” McCray Dove’s gritty country vocals on “My Life” are not unlike the sounds he generated earlier on a song titled “Hold On.”

If I had been tasked with choosing eight songs from the group’s 1998–2003 era, I’d have gone a different direction with several choices. “Sweet Baby Girl,” “One Step” and “Let the Old Man Die” don’t really stick in my memory as much as titles like “Something Within Me,” “I’ll Praise the Lamb,” “Operator” and “I Know He Heard My Prayer.”

The key selling point of “Decennial” is that fans can now buy a CD featuring the current lineup singing “Get Away Jordan” and “Didn’t It Rain.” The inclusion of two new songs should also encourage long-time fans to buy “Decennial” or at least download the new songs through their website.

(David Bruce Murray)