The Spencers – “It’ll Be Worth It After All”

So, this is a new one for me, I don’t think in my fifteen years of collecting that I’ve ever seen a Gospel LP from the 1990’s aside from Terri Gibbs’ contribution. The Spencer Family comes from Ohio, and they released this album in 1990 on the Peaceful Stream Music label.

The album, once again, opens with the title track “It’ll Be Worth It After All” and you know what, this is pretty good right from the first verse, this is like country gospel, but also just plain old country music and I love country music and I love gospel. I wasn’t expecting this to be this good, these vocals are great. “With You As My Shepherd” comes next, and the female vocalist doing the backing on this one, well this album, I do hope we get to hear her do a solo – oh, here she is. I wrote too soon. The Spencers are just very talented, and they all have great voices. Two songs in, and it’s pretty solid. “Saved Through Jesus’ Blood” and the singer on this one has a really nice, southern gospel voice, well both the guys and the woman do. The harmonizing is fantastic too. “God Has a Place” follows, it’s a slower track, and it’s not quite as good as the previous tracks, but the Spencers still do some great harmonizing on this one, and these musicians on this album, they’re impeccable. “Heaven Won’t Always Be Someday” ends the A-Side, and it’s a fantastic track. The vocals, the musicianship and the country vibe, they all just come together to give a wonderful close to a great A-side.

“Let’s Meet By the River” opens the B-Side and that wonderful female vocalist opens this one, and man, she has got a great country voice, and the piano accompaniment is just fantastic. “Beautiful” comes next, and it is also the word I’d use to describe this album – because that is what this is, and so is that mandolin playing. This is just great. “Face to Face” continues this album, and this female vocalist is so great, and I don’t think I can say it enough times that I love this country gospel vibe to this album. And of course, the Spencers have to deliver their own rendition of the classic “Family Bible” and hey, I like it. This time though, the whole group harmonizes on this one, and it’s great. Each of them have a verse. Lastly, they end the album with “My Visit to Heaven” and that female vocalist, who I now believe is Barbara Spencer, delivers this one and man, this woman was blessed with a fantastic, beautiful voice and an incredibly talented family. This has been a great listen.

Catalog Number:
PSM – 1700

Credits:
Producer, Telecaster/Stratocaster Guitars & Rhythm Guitar – Bobby All
Steel/Dobro Guitar – Sonny Garrish & Hal Rugg
Bass Guitar – Jack Ross
Drums – Gene Chrisman
Piano & Keyboards – Dirk Johnson
Fiddle & Rhythm Guitar – Bruce Watkins
Harmonica – Mike Douchette
Flat Top Guitar – Mike Riddle
Mandolin – Wade Spencer
Fiddle & Claw Hammer Banjo – Jimmy Edmonds
Engineer – Jimmy Tarbutton
Recorded & Mixed at the Oaks Place, Nashville, TN.
Photography – Segami Studio, Shelby, OH.
Design – IPC, Nashville, TN.

Related Vinyls:

The Singing Post Family – “The Family Bible” The Jim Edwards Family – “The Jim Edwards Family Album: Almost Home” Richard Miller – “The Many Voices of Richard Miller” Jerry D. Brown – “A Crippled Boys Prayer”