The Choraleers Quartet – “Oh, I Found Jesus”

So, here we are with the third and final Choraleers album, following up behind “On The Way Home” and “I Found the Lord” we have “Oh, I Found Jesus” – now I don’t know if this album is pre or post the latter two, but if you look at the guys on the cover, the two younger looks guys seem to not be there, and this one is also on the Mark V label of South Carolina, not the Truth label of North Carolina.

So, we, they, open the album with “King Jesus” and it’s not bad, I think I detect that one vocalist I thought was Gary Lucas on this one, but maybe I’m wrong? As he isn’t even credited on this one. It’s an alright way to open the album, and yes, that vocalist is definitely there. “How Great Thou Art” comes next, and the baritone singer, Jerry Tew, (This back cover has who sings what) delivers this one on lead. It’s not the best version I’ve heard of this song, but the backing vocals are pretty good. Then we go onto “Tears Are a Language” (Pretty sure the rest of the title is “God Understands”) and you know, the track listing on this one seems oddly familiar, like something I’ve heard before. Not all that bad a little slow. “Glory Clear the Road” comes next and it’s a fast paced song, good though. We end the A-Side with “The Apple Tree Song” which is a classic, no matter how you look at it, it’s not so much a song though, rather a story read over music, and it’s a touching one, but these guys deliver it amazingly.

And the B-Side opens with the title track, “Oh, I Found Jesus” and unfortunately, my record seems to skip a lot at that part, so, we’re just gonna skip that track. We do have “Get All Excited” coming next, and these guys do sing it pretty well, I’ve heard this song a few times in my life, and this version is pretty good. Clearly, the Choraleers liked Kris Kristofferson, because they deliver a nice rendition of his song “Why Me Lord” and it’s not bad, a nice, slow relaxing, well sung song. Now, we go onto one of my favorite Gospel songs, “I Should Have Been Crucified” and the tenor vocals, by Earl Williams, accompanied by the steel guitar of Tom Dodd just make this such a beautiful song, the backing vocals come in, and it’s great. “We’ll Soon Be Done With Troubles and Trials” come next, and it’s another slow song, but it does speed up, and it’s lead by Jerry Tew on the baritone vocals. “Now I Have Everything” closes the album, and generally, the Choraleers perform great, they are a group of very talented men, and their albums have a fine selection of songs, just they’re a bit too slow for my liking. That one high pitched vocalist though, he has definitely made these albums quite enjoyable, and I’m now convinced, he is James Curry.

Catalog Number:
CH-5010

Credits:
Engineer – Otis Forrest
Bass Guitar – Charles King & Mike Burnette
Lead Guitar – Pee Wee Melton
Steel Guitar & Remix Engineer – Tom Dodd
Drums – Buster Phillips
Rhythm Guitar – Jesse Evatt & Bob Dennis
Piano – Moody Jackson
Organ & Vibes – Mitch Humphries
Art Direction – Michael Burnette
Tenor Vocals – Earl Williams & George Pittman
Baritone Vocals – Jerry Tew
Vocals – James Curry

Related Vinyls:

The Total Victory Trio – “He Must Have Loved Me” The People’s Temple Choir – “He’s Able” Vicki Lamp – “Vicki” Chet Taylor Trio – “The Happy Man”