6th September, 2007

JOE MONTAGUE

“This album is accessible to people. It is a blue-collar Christian album. It is not something where you have to be a highbrow person." So says David Bellamy of The Bellamy Brothers’ new CD, Jesus Is Coming.

The duo, David and Howard, first splashed the charts in 1976 with the pop song, Let Your Love Flow, a tune that occupied the number one spot on charts in the United States, Great Britain, Scandinavia and Germany. David then wrote Spiders And Snakes, another mega hit, only this time recorded by Jim Stafford. It was followed by the number one hit, If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body (Would You Hold it Against Me?). The Grammy Award-winning Bellamy Brothers are in that elite group of artists whose music is just as popular in Europe and North America and their popularity has not waned despite the fact they are now in their fourth decade of recording and performing.

30 YEARS ON: After coming to worldwide fame in the Seventies, David and Howard Bellamy have just released their first Gospel album. REVIEW: 'JESUS IS COMING' The Bellamy brothers, Howard and David have gone from writing the Jim Stafford hit song Spiders And Snakes', to the dogs, well sort of. The chart-stopping duo whose signature song 'Let Your Love Flow', went all the way to number one in 1976 has recorded songs with titles like 'Lord Help Me Be The Kind Of Person (My Dog Thinks I Am)', 'Old Hippie III (Saved)' and 'Drug Problem' on their debut Gospel album 'Jesus Is Coming'. Read JOE MONTAGUE's review here...

David says the latest album is "very personal and unique compared to most country Gospel albums".

"Most of them are just remakes of old hymns, but we determined we were not going to do that, and instead make (a record) in our style.”

With song titles such as Drug Problem, Lord Help Me Be The Kind Of Person (My Dog Thinks I Am), I Ain’t Goin’ To Hell, and Old Hippie III (Saved), The Bellamy Brothers cannot be accused of taking the easy way out while recording their first Gospel album.

The country tunes were birthed in real life experiences from their youth and adult years. While the titles and subject matter upset some, Jesus Is Coming is sure to strike a chord with those who otherwise might never give a listen to a song with Christian themes.

“Although we have nothing against preaching to the choir, we hope that it doesn’t just preach to the choir," notes David. "We hope there are a few sinners who listen to it along with the believers, because it is a Gospel album for people who...”

“...aren’t hypocrites,” says Howard, finishing the sentence. “I think the hypocrites will find this (Jesus Is Coming) the hardest to accept."

David adds: “If you do reach that outsider, I think that is very important. When you play in a nightclub, there are some great people there."

Howard continues with, “Sometimes they just get sidetracked, like we did.”

The track Faith Came Back To Me, is a personal account of Howard and David’s return to their roots.

“Ya’ we backslid and did a little of everything to be honest," says David. "We did what everybody did. It seemed normal at the time, but as you get older, you see things from a different perspective. You start thinking maybe grandma was right. When you are imprinted at a young age, it comes back, it really does."

In the song Grandma’s God, the brothers pay tribute to their childhood days, when the seeds of faith were first sown. The lyrics also speak to the long, winding road that took them away from those roots, and the road that brought them back.

“Grandma’s God is really true," says David. "Our grandmother was what they used to call a holy roller, a Pentecostal. If you had breakfast at her house, she would be listening to the preacher on the radio, while she had her hand on the radio praying. We grew up with that. She was a very strong woman. That’s really the roundabout circle. We were hippies in the Sixties, (however) we made a big circle, and came back to where we started."

That road back is described in the southern Gospel tune, Faith Came Back To Me.

“We were pretty well 'drug' (as in dragged) to church on Sunday morning," David notes. "That (the song, Drug Problem) is a very true story. I think these songs are all pretty personal, and what made this album a lot of fun for us. Normally writing and recording is a lot of fun, but we really had a lot of fun making this one (CD). We cut this one at home and it never really was like work. Grandma’s God, is one of the most autobiographical songs that I have ever written.”

Asked whether or not there might be some risk associated with the recording of a Gospel album at this point in their careers, David says: “There might be some risk, but I don’t think we care much, because we have sung Gospel music all of our lives. We have sung Gospel music for as long as I can remember. I can’t remember anytime when we didn’t sing Gospel music.”

Howard adds: “I think actually this record will really help clear up who we are, because I don’t think people ever knew that. I think that it has taken 31 years for people to figure out this is where we are coming from. We are coming from several different directions, but this is really our outlook."

As to the upbeat country rhythms and southern Gospel flavoring found on the current CD, David observes, “We grew up in the church, and our first big hit wound up being a pop record, but we grew up really country.”

The country tunes once again serve to highlight the brothers’ beautiful harmonies and the rich timbre of their voices. Howard and David credit pacing themselves more carefully in the later years of their careers with preserving the quality of their voices as evidenced when, againts the gorgeous background vocals of Vickie Carrico, Vicki Hampton and Bob Bailey, Howard and David sing the tender Beautiful Night, a soul-soothing song, which once again shines on the quality of their vocal performance.

Jesus Is Coming represents coming full circle in more than one way. David had the opportunity to record the toe-tapping You’re The World with his sons Jesse and Noah.

“That was a lot of fun," says David. "We have been doing some shows with the boys. They are touring around Texas (at the time of our interview). Jesse and I co-wrote the song together, especially for a Gospel album. The great news about that song is there is a girl in Denmark who cut that song also, and Howard and I sang on it. Her album just went gold. That was really nice for Jesse because it is the first royalty money he ever made. It helps him pay the rent for the moment.”

David 's pride in Noah and Jesse shows. “They are coming up pretty good..." he says.

The words from the title track Jesus Is Coming may startle some but reflect the sentiment of David and Howard. The song comments on poverty, those in the church, government and the legal profession who have abused their positions of privilege and power. The lyrics also serve as a social commentary. Paul Franklin’s steel guitar is as poignant as the lyrics.

Since the album is about honoring heritage and faith as well as talking about the journey that brought them full circle, it is only fitting that the CD should end with the song that started it all, Let Your Love Flow. Howard and David created a new mix of the song, with which they are still so closely identified in numerous countries around the world. In some of those countries, people may not speak much English but they can still sing all the words to Let Your Love Flow.

~ www.bellamybrothers.com.

REVIEW: JESUS IS COMING

The Bellamy brothers, Howard and David have gone from writing the Jim Stafford hit song Spiders And Snakes, to the dogs. Well, sort of. The chart-stopping duo whose signature song Let Your Love Flow, went all the way to number one in 1976 has recorded songs with titles like Lord Help Me Be The Kind Of Person (My Dog Thinks I Am), Old Hippie III (Saved) and Drug Problem on their debut Gospel album Jesus Is Coming.
 
Despite the fact that they are now well into their fifth decade of performing and recording the Bellamy Brothers’ timbre and ability to harmonise remain intact. The inclusion of Let Your Love Flow on this CD only evidences a slight maturity in vocal performance and a different mix.  As I listened to a song that has been near and dear to me most of my life, it served as a strong reminder why we first fell in love with the music of this duo.
 

This is an album about reflection as the country duo reminisces about being "drug" to school, "drug" to church on Sunday morning, "drug" to family reunions and “drug by my ears when I was bad,” in the song titled Drug Problem. It is a song that pays tribute to their spiritual heritage, the guidance they received as youngsters for keeping them from straying far. There is poignant metaphor as they sing, “I still have those drugs flowing through my veins.”
 
It is not often that a song is inspired by a sticker about cats but such is the case with Lord Help Me Be The Kind Of Person (My Dog Thinks I Am). David says, “I kept thinking about it and thought, 'well that’s really a good line, but it’s got to be a dog because dogs are way more forgiving.' Their love is without question. Cats kind of question you.”
 
The song Lord Help Me Be The Kind Of Man (My Dog Thinks I Am) is about a man that keeps sliding into sin but never gives up trying. Now maybe you cannot relate to lines like, “Sometimes I go to church on Sunday with Saturday’s whisky on my breath,” but you can probably identify with, “I can feel your love inside me Lord, but I know I’ll be coming home someday, and I pray you will find a pair of wings for old Jake.” The vocals are great and the musicians on this song are equally outstanding, led by the fabulous Randy Hiebert on acoustic guitar and some wonderful steel guitar work by Paul Franklin.  This song alone makes the CD worth adding to your collection.
 

Howard and David Bellamy have made no secret throughout their career that they think of themselves as hippies and songs such as Old Hippie III (Saved) and Grandma’s God are reminders of the road many of us travel down searching for answers, only to be drawn back to a firmer foundation. Joe Caverly masterfully draws his bow across his fiddle strings on Grandma’s God.
 
The southern Gospel infused Faith Came Back To Me, written by Howard, features some beautiful backup vocals by the trio of Vickie Carrico, Vicki Hampton and Bob Bailey.  There is really no other way to describe the work of the musicians on this song and throughout the album, than to use superlatives like ‘outstanding’.
 
The Bellamy Brothers also add their smooth harmonies to Albert E. Brumley’s I’ll Fly Away, first authored in 1932.
 
A fun and lively tune, I Ain’t Goin’ To Hell should appeal to those who enjoy southern gospel music. The song features the harmonica work of Wally Dentz, who appears once again on track ten You’re The World a song that David Bellamy wrote with his son Jesse. David’s sons Jesse and Noah make their lone vocal appearance on You’re The World. David has listed the collaborative effort both in songwriting and vocally as a personal highlight. 
 

Jesus Is Coming is a good investment. So what are you waiting for?