#263 ACTION by Steve Archer (1985)

ACTION by Steve Archer (1985)
Home Sweet Home - WR 8311

Producers:

Chris Christian, Skip Konte, Keith Thomas

File Under: CCM/Pop, 80s Synth-Pop

Time Capsule-Worthy Track:

Safe

It seems like we’ve known Steve Archer forever. 

That's Steve over on the left

“It all started back in 1968 and even before then,” Steve said in a 2014 online interview. “I think I was probably 12 or 13 the first time we got up and sang in church. We would sing along with records at the house and, naturally, we would just go into harmony parts.”

As Steve and his older brother Tim began to harmonize together at home, their Dad, who was also their pastor, took notice. Steve explains: “Yeah, Dad just kind of started the whole thing by saying, ‘Hey, that sounds good. Why don’t you guys sing that in church on Sunday morning?’ And we were like, ‘Uh...okay.’ But we loved music and we loved to sing and there was just a natural blend there, and we would just naturally go into the harmony stuff, and that led to us singing a Bill Gaither song in our denomination's talent contest, and apparently it went pretty well. I was 13 and Tim was 16. We went all the way to the Nationals and took second place in the country with that song.”

Tim & Steve Archer...with their 2nd-in-the-nation trophy

[Now, the way my mind works...I want to know who in the world took home the first place prize? It would be very interesting to see how their career/ministry stacked up beside that of The Archers. And I know what some of you are thinking...How dare you! Ministry is not a competition! And that is true. But my brother and I also had a little experience with “Teen Talent” and the downside of that program is that it was - literally - a competition! I’m just saying it would be very interesting to see who was able to best The Archer Brothers. But I digress.] 

Even without taking the top prize, Tim and Steve were very encouraged by the whole process. “Yeah, it  inspired us,” Steve remembers. “We came home from that trip and we wanted to put a band together. We ended up singing with our older brother Gary. 

Then when Gary became a pastor, Tim and I continued in Palmdale, California to try and put a band together. People like Freddie Satterfield and Billy Masters and Nancye Short joined us to form the original Archers.”

Most of you know the story from that point. The group was befriended by Andrae Crouch, scored a live slot at a huge cultural touchstone for the Jesus Movement known as Explo ‘72, and also scored some radio hits with songs like Jesus is the Answer, Little Flowers and It Wouldn’t Be Enough. 

In 1977 they became even more of a family group when little sister Janice joined up and instantaneously became the hoped-for love interest of 95% of Christian teen males in the United States. [The other 5% of guys were either gay or visually impaired. I’m kidding!]

The group recorded a string of well-received albums that contained excellently written, God-focused songs and musical performances by some of the very best session players available. As always, the trio’s family vocal blend and impressive solo vocal performances were front and center. 

They sang at the White House, on live Grammy Award telecasts, and at several other iconic venues. Records like Fresh Surrender, Stand Up!, Spreading Like Wildfire and All Systems Are Go are still loved today. 

Beginning in 1982, Steve Archer began to record what would turn out to be a string of solo albums. The Archers eventually went on hiatus for a while, allowing the siblings to focus on their personal lives and other opportunities, but the group remained an entity well into the 1990s.

 

Steve’s first solo album had a catchy title - Solo - and the second one contained the huge hit Through His Eyes of Love. So the stage was set for Action, Steve Archer’s third solo recording, and one that included another monster hit, this time a duet with Marilyn McCoo. Much more about that a little later.

I had a chance recently to speak with Steve Archer and I asked him about the team of producers involved in creating Action. “It was a lot of fun making the Action album,” Steve said, “because we employed two different production approaches - one with my producer on my first two albums, Chris Christian, and then an additional producer, Skip Konte. Skip was the keyboardist for Three Dog Night back in the mid-70s. His nickname was The Wizard as he was always surrounded by keyboards, and he put on quite a show.”

Skip Konte in the 70s

“Skip Konte also produced our TBN television show that ran for thirteen episodes,” Steve offered.

According to Steve, the difference in production styles can be easily observed as we listen to the title track versus the album’s biggest hit, Safe.

The keyboard work is varied and dizzying on the punchy title track, a song that says we have to put feet to our faith (You need action to catch your faith on fire). It does indeed have a different sound than what we had become accustomed to from Christian. Not better or worse, but different. Action also contains a very tasteful electric guitar solo that serves the song perfectly.  

Chris Christian with Steve Archer

Safe was much more, um...safe. From a production standpoint, this was the kind of CCM power ballad that was right in Chris Christian’s wheelhouse. Musically, it broke no new ground...didn’t do anything crazy...but it didn’t have to. Safe had "hit" written all over it. I asked Steve how he ended up recording with Fifth Dimension and Solid Gold star Marilyn McCoo. He laughed and said, “Well, it’s been 35 years since we recorded Safe, so forgive me if I don’t remember all the details!

“I just remember that my manager, David Bendette, who had managed pop acts like John Sebastian, Bonnie Raitt and even Tony Bennett for a while, called me and told me that he had gotten in touch with Marilyn McCoo’s manager about her recording Safe as a duet with me. Marilyn and her husband Billy Davis, Jr. knew of The Archers because of our Grammy performances and the word we got was that Marilyn was interested and wanted to hear the song. So when she heard the song she loved it, and she asked David and me to come to her home so she and I could do a little singing together to see how well we would blend.”

Steve continues: “It turned out that Marilyn was very happy with our blend and she said, ‘Let’s do this!’ So into the studio we went with Chris Christian producing, Jack Joseph Puig engineering, and some wonderful A-list musicians in Los Angeles, including Nathan East on bass. I think Robbie Buchanan was on keyboards. They were incredible musicians and great guys to work with.”

Safe turned out to be one of the CCM’s most enduring ballads in the eighties, and a song that did a wonderful job of expressing the amazing peace and safety that is found in the love that God has for each of us.

 

Lord, surround me on all sides

I need a place to hide

Hold me the way You do

'Cause here above the raging storm

You keep me safe and warm

Hidden away with You

And I'm safe

Safe inside Your love

I'm harbored in Your hand

Where You keep me anchored

And I'm safe

Safe inside Your love

And there's nothing I can't face

Safe inside Your hiding place

 

Safe was the kind of song Christian radio loved; it rose to #1 in the nation and was later voted the #4 Song of the Year by CCM Magazine. “Chris Christian has said that of the more than 60 #1 songs that he’s been a part of, Safe is one of his favorites,” Steve told me.

Chris Christian (L), and Jeremy Dalton

Interestingly, Action, Safe and five other songs on this album were all written by the same man. “Yes, Jeremy Dalton!” Steve recalls. “Jeremy and I were good friends and he had been writing pop songs and performing in clubs. But God got a hold of him and turned his heart toward writing songs like Safe, I’ll Do My Best, Through His Eyes of Love, Action, and many more.”  

 

A few more songs to mention...but can we talk about that album cover? Art Director Rhonda Jesson and photographer David Brandt made a few corny choices with the movie set props on the cover (“Action!”...get it?) Not nearly subtle enough, I’m afraid. But let’s face it, Steve’s movie star good looks were enough to overcome that. And that trendy red top with those acid wash jeans remind us that we were right smack dab in the middle of the 80s.

 

The album actually kicked off with a HUGE polyphonic, 80s synth-pop sound on I Can Do All Things. It’s an upbeat musical celebration of Philippians 4:13. More great keyboard sounds are featured on a positive pop testimony song titled Everything I Am. Rounding out Side One was Love’s Finest Hour, the kind of ballad Steve Archer could sing in his sleep, and still his vocals are tremendously impressive. 

Steve Archer’s singing has been described as blue-eyed soul...but to leave it at that would sell him short. There’s a sound...a quality...a richness to his voice that allows him to be extremely versatile. From Jesus Music to rock to gospel hymns to pop ballads to soul and even disco (back in the 70s). Whenever The Archers recorded a song with a high funk quotient, it’s a safe bet that Steve sang lead on it. I grew up a devoted Atlanta Braves fan, and everybody knew what a great hitter Hank Aaron was. But the baseball people would say that he never got enough credit for being a great fielder as well...because he made it look too easy. I think a similar thing could be said of Steve Archer as a singer: he often performs vocal gymnastics with a very high degree of difficulty, but he makes it all seem effortless. He makes it sound too easy.

 

Side Two kicked off with a bonafide rock anthem titled Run, this one penned by Keith Thomas and Glen Allen Green. Eighties instrumentation abounds...and this gives you an idea of what Steve Archer would’ve sounded like if he had ever fronted an actual rock and roll band. 

Looks like Skip's & Keith's producer credits were removed when Home Sweet Home released Action on CD. An oversight, I'm sure...

 

For my money, Holy, Holy was the record’s only misstep. An island-inspired, reggae worship song with weird keyboard sounds that remind you of a UFO landing? It must’ve seemed like a good idea at the time…

Who Will Own Your Heart was written by husband/wife duo Buddy & Julie Miller. Again, keys steal the show on this mid-tempo pop song with a good bit of swagger. Then the record wraps with Make A Joyful Noise, a synth-pop praise song based on the Psalms.

 

Action found Steve Archer at the height of his powers (so to speak) and at the top of his game, performing 200 dates a year. The Archers, as a group, would retire (for the most part) in the early 90s and life would eventually settle down for Steve and his musically-gifted siblings and their families. 

But Steve would continue to minister and, in fact, still sings in churches, conferences, and various other meetings quite often. He, brother Tim and sister Janice are universally held in high regard and loved by all who know them...and even by those who just remember them. No less an authority than Terry Blackwood recently wrote, "Steve is one of the truly great contemporary Christian music singers of all time. He is also a solid man of God." 

Yes, it does seem like we’ve known Steve Archer forever. And that’s a good thing.

#264 - SINCERELY YOURS by Gary Chapman (1981)

SINCERELY YOURS by Gary Chapman (1981)
Lamb & Lion Records - LL 1053

Producers:

Joe Hardy, Eddie DeGarmo & Dana Key

File Under: CCM/Pop

Time Capsule-Worthy Track:

Sincerely Yours

Gary Chapman is a talented singer-songwriter and former television host with a wicked sense of humor (if you’ll pardon the expression). He’s won Dove awards and written hit songs for everyone from T.G. Shepard to, um, Amy Grant. Of course, he famously married the latter, served as her bandleader for a number of years, made three kids with her, and suffered a very public breakup and divorce. But this ain’t about that.

Long before his role as the male half of the First Couple of CCM, Gary Chapman grew up in the Assemblies of God denomination in Texas where his father was a pastor. 

Gary learned to play guitar as a preteen and after attending an A/G Bible college in Waxahachie, he got a job playing guitar for a couple of storied Southern Gospel groups - the Downings and the Rambos. He no doubt learned a thing or two about songwriting from the legendary Dottie Rambo. By the late 70s, Chapman was earning a living as a songwriter in what had become the unofficial capital of contemporary Christian music - Nashville, Tennessee. He wrote songs that were recorded not just by southern Gospel royalty like the Blackwood Brothers and Rusty Goodman, but also emerging contemporary artists like Jamie Owens-Collins and the aforementioned Miss Grant. 

The first song Chapman penned for Grant turned out to be a classic. She had been sort of hand-picked and groomed by Chris Christian and Brown Bannister to be CCM’s earnest girl-next-door and everything was going according to plan. Her debut album was well-received. But it was her sophomore release that saw her popularity really take off...and that was due, at least in part, to the album’s title song, My Father’s Eyes, which became a big hit and earned young Gary Chapman a Songwriter of the Year Dove award. All of that also earned Chapman more time spent around Grant; he served as the opening act on her 1980 tour...which led to a romance...that led to marriage. But before that wedding, Gary Chapman was given the opportunity to record a solo album of his own. It would be titled Sincerely Yours.

Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key

Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key officially arrived on the Christian rock scene in the late 70s, recording two critically-acclaimed albums that set a new standard for Christian rock music. Although the DeGarmo & Key Band was still in its infancy, Eddie, Dana, and producer Joe Hardy were already tossing around the idea of creating a production company that would exist to help other emerging artists. “We liked the idea of bringing a creative and sonic lift for artists in our budding genre,” Eddie DeGarmo wrote in his 2018 autobiography, Rebel For God: Faith, Business and Rock ‘n’ Roll. “Ardent was a world-class studio and we believed that with our combined skills and talents, we could raise the bar for Christian music.” Never lacking in confidence, DeGarmo said that he, Dana and Joe believed they could help CCM compete sonically and artistically with the best in secular music. “We came up with the name Mint Productions,” DeGarmo recalled. “In our insider cool slang, if something was ‘mint’ it was top-notch and of the highest quality.”

Mike Blanton and Dan Harrell

So DeGarmo called Mike Blanton, then the head of A&R at Myrrh Records, to hopefully strike up a deal for Mint Productions to work with one or more of Myrrh’s up-and-coming artists. That led to Eddie being invited to an Amy Grant concert where he would hobnob backstage with Blanton, Grant, Dan Harrell (Grant’s manager), and a young man named Gary Chapman. DeGarmo has vivid memories of the concert that night. He describes Amy’s sound as sweet and gentle, noting that Chapman’s guitar was her only accompaniment that night. 

Amy Grant

“They were very good as an act,” Eddie remembers, “playing off of each other and adding a nice blend of humor, charm and poignancy to her songs. Also, the auditorium was packed. It was a different crowd than we would see at a typical DeGarmo & Key show.”

You might remember that Amy Grant wound up singing a duet with Dana Key on D&K’s third album, This Ain’t Hollywood. The DeGarmo and Key Band would eventually end up serving as Amy Grant’s touring band for a bit and backed her on two live albums. But before that happened, Mike Blanton resigned from his post with Myrrh and formed a management company with Dan Harrell. Blanton contacted DeGarmo one day with a question. “He let me know that Gary Chapman was going to record a solo album and asked if Mint Productions would be interested in taking a meeting about the possibility of producing it,” DeGarmo recalls. “We met with Gary shortly after and we had a great connection. He was a really charismatic and rambunctious guy. He was also very talented.”

Dana Key, Eddie DeGarmo

Gary Chapman soon found his way to Memphis so that Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key could guide him through the recording of his debut album. According to DeGarmo’s book, Sincerely Yours took about two months to record. “Gary is a wonderful songwriter,” said DeGarmo, “so it was easy to produce a great project for him.” 

DeGarmo & Key, especially from their inception up through 1982, was a full-on rock and roll band. Sincerely Yours is not a rock album. It’s CCM pop up one side and down the other. Blogger David Lowman says the album “is filled with great Christopher Cross type light pop” and “made for CCM radio” pop tunes. However, Eddie’s and Dana’s influence is definitely felt in a subtle way throughout the album. In fact, some of the same musicians and singers from DeGarmo & Key’s This Ain’t Hollywood release were featured on Sincerely Yours as well. 

The album’s opener, No Time At All, is a bouncy light rock tune that, at first, sounds like stereotypical CCM fare from the time period. But then the melody and chords take off in surprising directions, with Dana Key turning in a great electric guitar solo as the song fades.

I Wanna Be Loved By You, written by Chapman and a young Keith Thomas, is a pop track obviously aimed at radio. It has a smooth jazz vibe and some nice sax work by Andrew Love.

Chapman’s songwriting talent was on full display on Love Is A Name. Consider these lines…

Every song I seem to hear lately is talkin’ ‘bout makin’ love

When there’s already plenty of love to go around

People got it all in reverse, everybody is takin’ love

When in truth, love has got to be given before it is found

The acoustic guitar-based song features some really pleasing chords and a very tasteful performance by bassist Joe Hardy.

Open Up My Eyes is basically a prayer...today, it would be considered a worship song, perhaps. More great bass lines from Mr. Hardy as well as Eddie DeGarmo stretching out a little bit on the organ.

Side One wraps with the title track, the undisputed highlight of the record for me. Similar to All I Ever Have To Be, Sincerely Yours is a thought-provoking ballad that further established Chapman as a very talented writer.

Lord, I take my pen to write to You a letter
Knowing even now You know what's on my mind
But I think perhaps it might make me feel better
If I see myself here written in a line

As I close I see a phrase I took for granted
And it leaps out as I see it written there
As the truth of it begins to become planted
These two words have now become my heartfelt prayer 

Sincerely Yours
Lord, I sign my life to You
Sincerely Yours
With a strong and honest wish
To be the best that I can be at what I am
Without a thought for me
Lord, teach me now to be...
Sincerely Yours
Without a proud or selfish line
Sincerely Yours
From now until there is no time
Please make my life become a letter you can keep
And never throw away
I'll write it 'till the day
That I become

Sincerely Yours

Musically understated, this song is just acoustic guitar...strings...and a heartfelt vocal from Gary Chapman. 

In addition to Ardent Studios, portions of Sincerely Yours were recorded at the famous Great Circle Sound in Nashville, where so many Benson/Impact/Greentree albums were made. Private Eye Studio and Bill Brunt were responsible for the album cover; the pictures were taken by Mike Borum.

Amy Grant herself shows up on the up-tempo Anywhere. This song just seems hurried and is a little irritating. I read where one reviewer thought it was one of the strongest tracks on the record. Maybe it’s just me. The only thing I like is Dana Key’s Michael McDonald-esque supporting vocal lines on the chorus. I think a tender ballad would’ve been a more effective vehicle as a duet between Gary and Amy. Anywhere just doesn't do it for me.

I'd Really Like To Tell You is a clever love song (perhaps describing Chapman’s then-budding romance with you-know-who). Again, Gary’s skill and talent as a songwriter is evident here…

I thought I’d try to tell how much I love you in a song

But I found out very soon that that would make it last too long

I started it last evening when the sun was going down

I’d barely just begun it when the sun came back around

I’d really like to tell you

I’d really like to show how much

I’d really care to share the love with you

I’d really like to tell you

I’d really like to show you

But I’m afraid I might not ever quite get through

Next up was a fast-paced rocker called Feelin’ Right. This song seems to have been written in response to those who like to downplay feelings and emotions where our walk with the Lord is concerned (John MacArthur, I’m lookin’ at you). Well, I grew up in the same Pentecostal denomination as Gary Chapman. And I’m glad that I can feel the presence of the Lord. I identify strongly with the message of this song…

There seems to be a notion

If you’re showin’ some emotion

You had better stop and check yourself out

They stop and try to tell us

That we’re being over-zealous

When we start to praise the Lord and shout

Well, they say it’s not prestigious

To be overly religious

But in love I must say I disagree

‘Cause this whole religious thing

Was put together by a King

And now He’s living deep inside of me

They can get depressed if they want but I’m feelin’ right

They can negative confess if they want but I’m feelin’ right

Well, I know we can’t live by feelings

So please don’t get me wrong

But ain’t it kinda nice

When the good feelings come along

Well said, Mr. Chapman.

One Hope was a ballad that presented the Gospel in clear terms, wrapping up this solid debut effort from Gary Chapman. 

Of course, Amy and Gary would soon marry and Gary would write or co-write a ton of popular songs that she recorded. Eventually problems surfaced and they would split. I won’t dwell on that except to quote Gary from a magazine interview in CCM:

"Irreconcilable differences is such a lame and hollow phrase. That's what you say when you're afraid to say anything. It's the legalese that allows you to walk away. From my vantage point, we had one irreconcilable difference: I wanted her to stay, and she wanted to leave. Everything else, God could have reconciled."

I believe him. As a husband and father who has experienced rejection and betrayal...I believe him. I’ll just let it go at that.

In addition to experiencing success as a comedic television host on CMT, Gary Chapman has also given us a lengthy catalog of meaningful and memorable songs down through the years, including Sweet Glow of Mercy, Finally, Look What Has Happened To Me, I Prefer the Moonlight, Treasure, Everyday Man, and many more.

Gary Chapman and wife Cassie

In recent years, Chapman has become somewhat known for his A Hymn a Week social media posts, where he grabs an acoustic guitar and sings classic, beloved hymns as a tribute to his parents and his upbringing.

Finally, a “fun fact” is that Gary Chapman is reportedly a private pilot with a fondness for helicopters. His trademark humor came through in a quote shared in Mark Allan Powell’s Encyclopedia of CCM when he said, “A helicopter occupies both feet, both hands, and a big part of your brain. It’s basically a peddle steel guitar that can kill you.”

#265 NO TIME TO LOSE by Andrae Crouch (1984)

NO TIME TO LOSE by Andrae Crouch (1984)
Light Records - LS 5863

Producer:
Andrae Crouch & Bill Maxwell

File Under: Black Gospel/Urban/R&B/CCM

Time Capsule-Worthy Track:

Somebody Somewhere Is Prayin' (Just for You)

He was one of the most effective, most generous and most loved artists in the history of Contemporary Christian music. Not among black artists...but among all. He would almost certainly be included on any objective CCM Mount Rushmore. 

He paved new pathways and built bridges between very diverse communities within the body of Christ. Exceptionally charismatic and talented, he was also powerfully anointed of God. He passed from this life on January 8, 2015, and this world is a better place as a result of the 72+ years that Andrae Crouch spent here.

Andrae Crouch & the Disciples

Up through 1978, Crouch made his mark as the leader of an extremely exciting group that he dubbed The Disciples. Amazing singers and musicians such as Sherman Andrus, Bill Maxwell, Danniebelle Hall, Fletch Wiley, Bili Thedford, and Perry Morgan were part of Andrae's traveling evangelistic musical road show. After the Live in London double album in '78, Crouch transitioned to a solo career. 

While the sonic excellence of his music began to reach new heights during the solo years (as compared to the early years of AC&D), his spiritual effectiveness seemed to take a hit. A musician who worked closely with Andrae during both the group years and the solo years told me that the anointing on Crouch's ability to lead audiences in worship (long before "worship" was cool) diminished noticeably after the group disbanded. Andrae began to get accolades from big secular companies and stars and was given the opportunity to work with Madonna, Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. He collaborated with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Sheila E., Elton John and Little Richard. 

Michael Jackson with Andrae Crouch

He was given opportunities to appear on network television shows such as Amen and Saturday Night Live. He even helped provide music for a major motion picture (The Color Purple). 

It was during this solo era that Crouch became embroiled in a scandal (of sorts) when he was actually arrested on drug charges in November of 1982. He maintained that it was all a misunderstanding, that the drugs in his car actually belonged to musicians that were staying in his home at the time (while he was away, busy with his TV appearances and such)...which was totally plausible. Crouch even wondered aloud if he'd been targeted for being a black man driving a Mercedes. But a lot of damage had been done from a public relations standpoint. After some time had passed, Andrae recorded and released the album No Time to Lose in 1984. It would be his last release of any consequence for a decade.

No Time to Lose probably should've been credited to Andrae Crouch & Friends. Always generous in introducing new talent and promoting others, Crouch allows Kristie Edwards, Tata Vega, Howard Smith, and Linda & Howard McCrary to share a good bit of the vocal duties on this album. When the needle drops on the first song, Got Me Some Angels, we don't even hear Crouch's voice until a minute and a half in. In fact, the album's back cover features a photo of Andrae surrounded by all of these other singers, almost suggesting that this is AC&D 2.0.

Andrae Crouch was in fine voice on No Time to Lose, as he was arguably a very underrated vocalist. He was so effective at joyfully leading his audiences in worship and praise that his raw charisma overshadowed his singing ability and musical prowess, which were considerable. Like most of his albums, No Time To Lose boasted production values that rivaled anything in secular urban or R&B music. 

Kristie Edwards (AKA Kristle Murden)

  

Vocalist Kristie Edwards hit some amazing high notes and was nominated for a Grammy award for her performance on Jesus, Come Lay Your Head On Me (a moving song seemingly based on the Biblical story of the woman who anoints Jesus' feet). 

Edwards (now known as Kristle Murden) was actually in the foster care system as a teenager. She later became a music minister in the Church of God in Christ denomination, which is probably where she came to the attention of Andrae Crouch. She was given the opportunity to sing with Crouch on his 1979 hit I'll Be Thinking of You and she totally hit it out of the park. She ended up traveling to more than 30 countries with Crouch and sang on several more of his albums.

Andrae with Kristie

Edwards is also featured on Somebody Somewhere is Prayin' (Just For You), a song with a very complementary message to Lenny LeBlanc's Say a Prayer from the previous year. This song sounds like one that the Disciples could've had fun with in the 70s. Bonus points for mentioning 'speaking in other tongues' in the lyrics.

Kristle Murden today

Edwards (Murden) went on to receive 2 Grammy nominations for her own solo material and worked with a wide array of artists - from Barbara Streisand and Celine Dion to Christina Aguilera and Josh Groban. Her work was included on television shows like The Middle and Touched By An Angel and on a slew of motion picture soundtracks. She is perhaps best known for her featured solo on the mega-hit Can You Feel the Love Tonight from Disney's The Lion King.

Tata Vega

Tata Vega is another accomplished female singer who was featured on this album. The list is long of both artists she's worked with (Russ Taff, Patti LaBelle, Ray Charles, Madonna, Lou Rawls and many more) and media projects to which she has contributed. Vega sings on Right Now, a traditional black gospel shuffle, and Oh It Is Jesus, a reverent song based on the Scriptural account of the woman with the issue of blood who simply desired to touch the hem of Jesus' garment, knowing that she would be made whole. Vega was nominated for a Grammy award for her performance on this song. In 2010, Tata Vega joined Elton John's touring band as a full-time backing vocalist. John is, of course, a far cry from Crouch, spiritually and morally...but somehow she makes it work.

Bill Maxwell and Howard McCrary in 2015

Battle Hymn of the Republic gets an R&B makeover with the powerful ballad His Truth Still Marches On. On this one, Crouch gives Howard & Linda McCrary a turn in the spotlight, as they sing about the power and permanence of the Word of God. Like Edwards and Vega, the McCrarys have a long list of credits and collaborations, having worked with Cat Stevens, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Emerson Lake & Palmer, the California Raisins (yes, you read that correctly) and many others.

Howard Smith

Howard Smith, known for his work with The Testimonial Singers and The Winans, gets a chance to shine on this record's title track. The song starts off sounding like something the King of Pop might've recorded back in the day...at least from a musical standpoint.

Livin' This Kind of Life is a six-minute, smooth R&B track with exquisite keyboard work. It's a full-throated, enthusiastic endorsement of the Christian life. Unfortunately, the lyrics somewhat over-promise...

Livin' this kind of life
It gets sweeter and sweeter day by day

Livin' this kind of life

Everything is new and the old has passed away

Happy days are here again

I've got a new family and friends

And I'm thankful, yes I am

Ever since I met Jesus Christ

I've been livin' this kind of life

Lyrically, this song is almost a throwback to sentiments that were often expressed in the early days of the Jesus Movement. Trouble is, this was 1984, not 1974...and 'happy days are here again' in describing the Christian life was just a little too simplistic. If you've been a child of God for any length of time, you've discovered, I'm sure, that life does not always get sweeter every day. Jesus told us that we would have trials in this life. As I listen to this song again, I'm reminded that the apostle Paul was beaten, stoned, and imprisoned. He went hungry and thirsty. He was put in danger and robbed. He endured hardship, sleepless nights and exposure to the elements. And yet he wrote most of the New Testament. Happy days are here again? Hardly. Now, obviously, there was no malicious intent on the part of Crouch and yes, we do experience times of inexplicable happiness due to the blessings of the Lord in our lives...so I'm probably making too much of this.

No Time to Lose ends with Always Remember, a worshipful reminder of the anointing that so permeated Andrae's music in the 70s, as he would lead audiences in spontaneous worship and praise...before that was even a thing to most people.

We've already established the fact that Andrae Crouch was very well connected in the music business by the early 80s. His albums usually featured a ton of top-drawer session players and No Time to Lose was not an exception. Recognizable names like Abraham Laboriel, Bill Maxwell, Joe Sample, Larry Muhoberac, Andrew Gouche, James Harrah, Ken Ford, and Alex Acuna all lent their talents. Crouch himself played piano and synthesizers.

In addition to those already mentioned, Phyllis St. James and Andrae's twin sister Sandra Crouch supplied backing vocals. Andrae Crouch & Bill Maxwell co-produced the album and Doug Rider was the primary engineer.

After No Time to Lose, Andrae regressed into the shadows, as it were, for about a decade before emerging with albums like Mercy (1994) and Pray (1997). But Andrae's legacy was already baked into the cake long before that point. He eventually became the pastor of the church his father had pastored before him, continuing to release albums sporadically up until his home-going in 2015. Accolades here on earth, during his lifetime, include an Oscar nomination, seven Grammy awards, six Dove Awards, induction into the GMA Hall of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

But infinitely more important than awards and induction ceremonies were those anointed, beloved songs, some that are even in hymn books...and countless lives that were forever changed for the better...people whose faith was strengthened and whose hearts were encouraged...souls that were added to the Kingdom of God as a result of the ministry of Andrae Edward Crouch. 

He certainly lived his life as if there was no time to lose.

  

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