Search - Various Artists :: Best of Bluegrass Gospel

Well-produced bluegrass gospel music

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 08/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Playing Time - CD#1 (32:07); CD#2 (33:25); CD#3 (33:43)

Subtitled "music for the soul," this zealous production of 36 songs was the brainchild of Steve Ivey of Ivey Music International, a music publishing and production company he started up at age 19. Holding advanced degrees in

music voice performance and communications, Ivey also has a significant amount of business acumen. In less than two decades, he's seen his business grow to one that has produced over 1,000 songs that are heard around the world.



This 3-CD set of the Best of Bluegrass Gospel has spent over two years on the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums chart. Ivey not only arranged and produced the tracks, but he wrote 20 of the songs, sang lead on most of the cuts, sang all of the background parts and played guitar, mandolin and dobro. The all-star bluegrass sidemen include Andy Leftwich (mandolin), Shad Cobb (fiddle), Charlie Chadwick (bass) and Richard Bailey (banjo). Jesse Lee Campbell contributes some lead vocals, and she really shines on a number like "Softly and Tenderly" and "Wonderful Words of Life" and "Nothing but the Blood."



Best of Bluegrass Gospel is distributed by Madacy to Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Best Buy, along with placement in Christian bookstores through Ivey's connections with Lifeway. Ivey Music International (IMI) is building quite a reputation, and the company has garnered such honors as a Grammy nomination and an Emmy nomination. While the company has produced music in many genres, Steve Ivey is originally from Georgia, and he admits that bluegrass is close to his heart. This 3-CD set offers a great deal of well-produced music that is assured of commercial success. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

"

A pleasant mix.

D. Lawson | Alaska | 02/24/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was purchased for a good gospel bluegrass mix for background noise. It does the job wonderfully. I am very pleased."

Good selection, Voices weird

R. Ard | New Albany, IN USA | 07/23/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I picked this CD because most of the songs on it were ones I used to sing growing up in a church in south-eastern Kentucky. When I began listening to the CD, although the background instrumentals were enjoyable, all of the voices sounded like they are coming from inside a metal box which totally ruined the CDs for me. I wish the producer hadn't mucked with what could have easily been a favorite CD collection of mine, but instead is now one which I will rarely listen to."