CD Review: Pursuit, by the Ball Brothers

Last updated on: August 5, 2014 at 2:38 am by Esther O’Reilly

CD Review: Pursuit, by the Ball Brothers 2014-08-05T02:38:09-04:00 Esther O’Reilly

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Ball Brothers are one of southern gospel’s youngest and most progressive groups. Consistently thinking outside the box, they serve up a uniquely tight, pop-flavored harmonic blend that recalls GoFish or the Backstreet Boys more than your typical southern gospel men’s group. They built their career as four blood brothers, but since then they’ve replaced two, including brother Stephen, who tragically had to bow out due to early onset hearing loss. Fortunately, Andy Tharp and Chad McCloskey have seamlessly slipped into the groove, and anyone who didn’t know any better could easily think all four are related. Their fresh, youthful appeal has many fans wondering if it’s only a matter of time before Ernie Haase signs them to StowTown Records, since he played a large part in giving them their first exposure. Click below the fold for my thoughts on their latest release, Priority.

Likes

*This project is heavy on big-band arrangements, and on the whole, it’s a happy marriage with the Brothers’ tight vocals. Props to their young pianist and arranger Cody McVey, who must be quite an old soul to have such a deft hand with these throwback orchestrations, especially the 1-2-3 punch of the first three tracks. He’s doing for the Ball Brothers what Trey Ivey is doing for Legacy Five.
* “It’s Gonna Be a Good Day” puts a fresh spin on an old Gaither tune. It’s heartier than the typical ice-breaker, taking its time with the lush harmonies and Hammond/brass-rich background. I typically forget opening tracks right away, but this one is actually a highlight of the album. Ditto for the slow-building follow-up “Someday,” which fairly shimmers with swaying strings and jazz chords.
*I showcased this album’s cover of The Mullins’ “Who’s Gonna Stand in the Gap” (wr. Squire Parsons) in a “toe-to-toe” with the original last week. Personally, I much prefer the Ball Brothers’ full-on jazz rendition. At a certain point, I just set it on repeat. It’s a Brian Free & Assurance caliber performance, and it shows how perfectly everything comes together for them when they have great material to sink their teeth into. The song has a great message, it’s just plain fun, and it’s sure to get folks up out of the seats and clapping along.
*I’ve always thought Andrew Ball was an underrated tenor singer. He’s not particularly rangey or bombastic, but his clean, pure high end is spot-on for the group’s sound. It takes every track up a notch. One example is a really sweet little tune called “Nothing to Bring Him But Me.” I can’t find any info on this song except that it was also first recorded by the Mullins family on Vocal Point. It makes me think of an old, croony Imperials song.
* This project is heavy on light songs, which is the group’s forte, but “Just As I Am” is a solid ballad picked from Lauren Talley’s catalogue.
* The boys get their Take 6 on with the finger-snapping, slinky spiritual medley “You’re Gonna Need Him/If We Ever Needed.” Chad McCloskey proves that he’s a valuable asset with his soulful singing on this track. Of course everybody knows the second spiritual, but I wasn’t familiar with the first one before. The lines about “Taking him with you” everywhere made me think of Roger Bennett’s insight that “The Holy Spirit is portable.”

Dislikes

*I don’t necessarily mind Auto-Tune as long as I don’t know about it. But when I’m listening along and can actually hear the pitch getting artificially bent into place, it produces a trite, distracting effect. This happens in a few places throughout the album, most noticeably all through the verses of “Lead Me to Jesus.”
*The Ball Brothers usually have at least one out-of-left-field track that leaves me scratching my head per album. For this one, it’s their cover of the praise & worship standard “Beautiful One,” originally recorded by Jeremy Camp. I can’t fault Chad McCloskey’s silky Michael Buble impression, it’s just completely out of place on this song. Now, what might have worked better would be if they had the copyright leeway to massage the lyrics into purely a love song, minus references to God’s majesty and such. Then it would just be cute and fun. But the actual effect is like oil and water.
*This group has yet to record a really great original ballad, and while songs like “Forgive Me” and “Look To the Cross” are nice enough, I just don’t hear it yet. Both songs suffer from formulaic melody, leaden pacing and a failure to make a truly effective emotional connection. Their cover of “Mercy Said No” some years back is probably still the best thing they’ve done. If they could just find a brand-new ballad of that caliber, it might give them the “X-factor” they are currently seeking.
*Part of the issue might be that they don’t always give their ballads to their best ballad singers. Andy Tharp is a good blender, but he’s just average when he has to carry a song like “Forgive Me.” McCloskey is better on “Just As I Am,” but Daniel and Andrew Ball are still the group’s most compelling soloists.
Bottom line: This is definitely the album you want to pop into the CD player on a long summer drive. Kids will love it, and you just might find yourself tapping your feet along with them. It may not move you deeply or leave you going “Wow, THAT song!” but its slick production and catchy tunes will nestle comfortably in your ear and keep you smiling. It’s available now from all major retail outlets.
Rating: 4 stars

4 star

CD Reviews

Previous Post

August 4, 2014

Monday Morning Humor: Classic Tongue-Twisters!

Next Post

August 8, 2014 New Series Announcement: A Book a Week

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 3 star 3.5 star 4 star 4.5 star Anatomy of a Song Behind the Songs Blog Stuff Book Reviews CCM CCM vs. SG CD Reviews Christians in Entertainment Christmas Essential 12 Christmas Favorites Christmas Top Fives Concert Reviews Concerts Culture Devotional Thoughts Faith and Culture From the Vault Fun Gospel Singers Gospel Songs Great Music Guest Posts Harmony Master Classes History Holidays Humor Hymns Interviews Marriage in the Movies Monday Morning Humor Movie Reviews Movies Music NQC Odds and Ends Old Movies, New Eyes Old Southern Gospel News Old Stuff Open Threads Other Genres Perfect Tenor Performances Polls Questions and Answers Recently Added SG vs. The Rest of the World Sing It Again Songs Songwriting Southern Gospel Surprise Sunday The Definitive Hymns Theology Toe-to-Toe Top 10 Lists Top 5 Top 5 Lists Two Sisters Review Uncategorized Video Posts Youtube Finds

Select a Month August 2026 February 2025 August 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 October 2023 March 2023 February 2023 December 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 June 2020 March 2020 February 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 April 2018 September 2017 August 2017 May 2017 February 2017 December 2016 November 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What worldwide Christian youth movement was started by Robert Baden-Powell with a focus on outdoor activities and morality?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Wesley Guild Boy Scouts Sisters of Charity Young Life