If you haven’t already noticed, Quartet music is quietly in the midst a sentimental comeback in Gospel music.  With the storied success of The Blind Boys of Alabama, and other legends like the Mighty Clouds of Joy and Harvey Watkins, Jr. still adding to the catalogue of Quartet keepers, this legendary format is stepping back into the limelight and catching on like wildfire with an entirely new generation of music lovers.

A younger, more energetic crop of Quartet crooners are also stepping forward and making their presence known like Keith ‘Wonderboy’ Johnson, the Gospel Wonders and the 7 Sons of Soul, while current gate-keepers like The Williams Brothers, the Christianaires and Evelyn Turrentine Agee are setting a standard that everyone’s tuning into…it’s a Quartet renaissance in full effect.

Enter in The Soul Seekers of Los Angeles, California.  With eight members deep making up this unbelievably young cast of acclaimed musicians and composers, The Soul Seekers are the new paradigm in modern-day Quartet music.  Offering a seamless mix of production over its flawless musicianship and mastery of vocals, The Soul Seekers have really captured the very best of this timeless church expression on their new CD self-entitled – The Soul Seekers (Gospo Centric).

THE SOUL SEEKERS

From the onset, on their thumpin’ intro, I’ll Take Jesus, The Soul Seekers borrow a page from the traditional school of Quartet music, as the music jumps at you in full stride, taking you along on its ride to Gloryland.  On the following number, What Would You Do, The Soul Seekers bring the volume and testosterone levels down to a placid place, as the familiar tale of the Prodigal Son is told in classic Quartet style.  The music is soulfully soothing as the guitar speaks in an unfamiliar melodic tongue that’s guaranteed to bring chills. 

Somewhere Listening is much of the same…toe-tapping, syncopated beats, accompanied by active lead guitars, a raging Hammond B3 and a poppin’ bass guitar, all tied together with a timeless verse that will sink deep into your psyche after eight minutes of “I’ll Be Somewhere Listening For My Name”.  On Make A Way, The Soul Seekers pour more of the Quartet formula into this jam…a catchy verse, a standard Quartet melody and an eternal message of a Mighty God who will make a way in any situation.

The Soul Seekers understand and apply all the key essentials to the first half of the album…simple phrasing, soul-stirring vocals and a musical arrangement that’s deeply tied to the Black church experience. 

On the second half, tracks like What Took So Long and Another You are feel-good numbers designed to pick up your spirit, while sending a message of comfort to the soul.  Lead vocals by Harvey Watkins, Jr. on Make A Way and Paul Porter on I’ve Got It highlights a near perfect album, while paying homage to two of the great torchbearers of Quartet music.  The album closes as wonderfully as it begun on the selection, You Oughta Been There, co-written by Percy Bady and previously featured on his debut album for Gospo Centric Records.  But this version captures the energy and passion of a ‘live’ recording, essential to any classic Gospel release.

With humility and respect for the genre and Jesus, the Soul Seekers, in their debut release, have subtly unleashed one of the finest Quartet albums of the year.  And if their intentions were to pay tribute to the forefathers of Quartet music, while making music that would appeal to the soul, it’s clear that The Soul Seekers’ honorable aims were met through ten very notable songs steeped in church tradition.