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| 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)
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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.
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| 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.
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.
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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
It gets sweeter and sweeter day by day
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.
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.
He certainly lived his life as if there was no time to lose.
You bring up an intriguing concept: Mount Rushmore of CCM. For sure Andre Crouch and Larry Norman, but I'm having trouble limiting it to just 2 more. Honeytree should be included for her pioneering career, but who is that 4th person that cuts off all other nominees? It would seem unthinkable to omit Phil Keaggy, but there's also an argument to be made in favor of Pat Boone! Or Keith Green! Or Dallas Holmes! (See what you started?)
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