(Photo :Tribute Quartet "Hit Replay Again")

Isn't it atrocious that most of us suffer from severe spiritual Alzheimer's?  We flippantly forget the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord.  And with our egoistical proclivity towards the self, we are even less likely to remember and rejoice in our neighbor's blessings.  This is why ranked among the top 20 most repeated words used in the Bible is the verb "remember" (appearing about 268 times across the two Testaments).  God wants us to remember the goodness that He has shown towards us and also around us.  Such a Godly mandate is at the cynosure of Gary Castro, Josh Singletary, Riley Harrison Clark and Anthony Davis.  Calling themselves the Tribute Quartet, they have made it their collective goal to remember God's blessings through many legendary artists that have gone before or are still with us.  And with such a lofty objective in mind, in the year 2010, they cut an album entitled "Hit Replay." On this album they re-cut some of the evergreen chestnuts of Southern Gospel music to the great delight of fans and aficionadas of the genre.  Three years later, comes the second instalment, hence the emphatic "again" as in "Hit Replay Again."  

Leading the litany of praise for this record is the choice of the material.  The ten tracks here straddle between propulsive harmony-driven rustic toe tappers and lush big-band style orchestrated ballads.  And trawling their net of song choices far enough, they are able to cover a diverse selection from the likes of the Greenes to the Hoskins Family to the Crabb Family to Bill and Gloria Gaither to the Greater Vision.  Easily the most Godly-cover by a long shot is "God Wants to Hear You Sing."  This is a gem of a song that deserves to be heard for all of us hampered by trials.  Taking encouragement from Acts 16:16-40 when Paul and Silas could still sing to the Lord even though they were imprisoned, we are challenged to still sing in the midst of our suffering.  Keeping abreast with the Talley's version of "He Saw Me," Tribute Quartet also tags the refrain "Jesus Paid It All" towards the end of the song.  The combination of the bevy of strings, piano and those seamless harmonies have a powerful way of drawing our hearts right into this song of worship that just uplifts the heart.

Lyrically, the songs here are a buffet for the soul.  In the midst of suffering when we are tempted to wavier in our faith, "Even in the Valley" finds the quartet firmly grafted in God's goodness.  Fans who love modern hymns will soak up Kyla Rowland's "Safe Thus Far."  Often associated with the Hoskins Family, "Safe Thus Far" has some of the most comforting lines:  "I've smiled in the face of stormy seas as they rolled apart/I've rested in peace as He spoke to my trembling heart /I really don't know what lies ahead/But I have no doubt no fear no dread."  There are quite a number of entries here that deal with heaven evidenced by titles containing the words "clouds," "mountain" and "city."  Best among the bunch is "Glorious City of God;" this hit song for the Greenes pays homage to our heavenly home with some thumping beat and engaging four parts.  

One sub-genre within Southern/country gospel that has been overlooked is the use of narration within songs.  There is something powerful when an artist talks through a song beautifully adorned with accompanying string-laden music.  The Tribute Quartet does it with class and heart with "Hold Me." Regardless of whether you are a long standing fan or a rookie to the genre, "Hit Replay Again" will get you doing what the title suggests.  Our hands will have a hard time getting away from the "play" button on our itunes or smartphone or CD player.