The Sleeve:
The Liner/Sleeve Notes:
“A word from the producer….
Rarely does a producer get the opportunity to really have the final word in a recording session. However, JOE BENNETT and BILL BARREL have given me this space to just that and I’m grateful.
I want you to know how much I personally enjoy and believe in the musical ministry these young men are involved in. Their uniqueness and versatile stylings, excitement, talent, feeling, and obvious devotion to their Lord are all experienced again and again as you listen to the music captured between these covers.
Check it out – take this album home – play it – and see if you don’t get blessed — I sure did!
J.D. MILLER”
Personal Review:
Many ways one could simply judge the music within just by looking at the cover, I however am here to tell you how to music really is! Therefore, I shall start by saying the album opens with the track “Hometown Man” – and if you guessed that it was going to be really have country sounding Southern Gospel. You’d be correct. Joe & Bill are indeed very talented singers and this album proves it to everyone who judges albums by their covers. Next up is the track “Praise His Name” – which starts off as a slower Gospel track, but still good. I find male Southern Gospel singers seem to have a better knack for pulling off slow songs. Anyways, so both sings begin to sing with each other and things get extremely amazing. Like, “Oh wow, this is better than I thought!”. Next up is “He’s the One” which once again starts off slow, but suddenly the bass kicks in and the song gets good! Anyways, the next track is “No Time for Religion” – IT HAS BANJOS! …and FIDDLES! Can I say it? Yes, yes I can. It’s amazing. I’m too involved with the instruments to be able to tell you what the song is about, (okay, that is a lie.) it’s about a preacher trying to get a guy named Jake to become a Christian and he ain’t “Got no time for religion,” and he got “no time to pray“. Yea, you’re going to Hell Jake. Jokes. He becomes a Christian in the end. The A-Side ends with the track “God Still Cares” which is slow, sung by both guys, it’s not the best, it’s not the worst. I prefer the other four tracks so far.
So, the B-Side opes with the track “No Better Way” – and let me say, there is no better way to start this B-Side than with this song! I’ll admit, the instruments being played stand out a bit more than the vocals. The boys still, however, deliver the song greatly. Next up is the “Chicken Song” and well, somehow they make it a song about Jesus. Not sure how, but they do it. Next up is “What Would Have Happened” – it’s a slow song with good instrumentation (I did not even know that was a word.) It’s not one where I’d play the record just to hear, you know? The B-Side closes with the song “I Must Tell Jesus” which has a spoken word intro, backed by a organ… and it goes off into another slow song like the one before.
In the end, no information can be found about the two guys.
Interesting Facts:
None.
Track Listing:
A1 – Hometown Man
A2 – Praise His Name
A3 – He’s the One
A4 – No Time for Religion
A5 – God Still Cares
B1 – No Better Way
B2 – The Chicken Song
B3 – What Would Have Happened
B4 – I Must Tell Jesus
Label:
SSE Records
Catalog Number:
791013
Studio Musicians & Other Album Credits:
Produced & Remixed by J.D. Miller
Engineering by Cecil Jones
Recorded at Lemco Sound Studio, Lexington, Ky.
String and Horn arrangements by Doug Oatley
Front Cover Photo by Alan Bane
Back Photo by Portraits by Darrell
Album Design by Joe & Bill
Farmer – Larry Barrell
Thanks to Papa, Tommy and Steve.
Other Albums I Own by Joe and Bill:
None.
Released:
1979
Thanks for the review. I am Bill, of Joe and Bill. You can check out my stuff online. Thanks BB