True Believer

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Considered the Rolling Stones of country music, Sawyer Brown comes at us with their 19th release. This project features some their greatest hits along with previously unreleased tracks. 10 tracks. Curb. 2003.

Tracks:

Travelin' Shoes
I Got a Plan
Lord, Would You Do That for Me
The Walk
Still Water
Circles
It Wasn't His Child
The Sun Don't Shine Always Shine on the Same Folks All the Time
800 Pound Jesus
True Believer

Album Description

Considered the Rolling Stones of country music, Sawyer Brown comes at us with their 19th release. This project features some their greatest hits along with previously unreleased tracks. 10 tracks. Curb. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

Now I know Mark Miller is a TRUE BELIEVER!.......2007-01-15

Mark Miller and Sawyer Brown have out done themselves. I have never been SO excited in all my life to find out that Mark is a Christian and is bringing Glory to God with his music. I was a devote Sawyer Brown fan in the 80's and early 90's. I then started walking closer with my Lord, and gave up "country" music. Since I hadn't been involved with country, little did I know that Sawyer Brown was mixing their faith, their love of country music, and a gospel approach in their music. I LOVE THIS CD!! What makes it even better is that most of the songs are written by Mark, or members of Sawyer. The lyrics are true to Sawyer, yet bring Glory to God! I'm so glad to be back in the Sawyer Brown fan club!

WOW.......2004-07-14

What a fantastic Christian CD! I wish more country artists would put out this type of CD. "The Walk" will bring tears to your eyes - "800 pound Jesus" will make you smile.

A must buy for anyone who loves country gospel!

Good, solid, enjoyable.......2003-11-28

While I've always enjoyed catching a Sawyer Brown tune on the radio, and immensely enjoy some of their previous albums, they've been kinda quiet of late. Unfortunately, this album is unlikely to lead to large amounts of air time for Miller and the boys, but it deserves better. The group has always been willing, behind the leadership of Mark Miller, to tackle some of the thornier issues of day-to-day life, and they continue in that vein right to where it should lead--but where mainstream station programmers are unlikely to follow. This album represents what modern country gospel could and should be, while still being only the beginnings of an exploration into that as-yet uncharted sea. I hope they (and others) can continue to open the doors into new country-gospel spaces. It'll only get better.

Sawyer Brown - Little Bit of Old and New Blended Harmony..........2003-05-17

For those of you out there that are in the mood for something different than pop-country, this is the album needed.
S.B. has successfully mixed and matched the sound that made them popular with a more contemporary edge, without giving in to mainstream music.
The harmonies are still there, along with a few great songs from yester-year, including "The Walk" and "Still Water".
Like Randy Travis, Sawyer Brown dove into the Inspirational category, with songs such as, "Lord, Would You Do That For Me" and "It Wasn't His Child".
Don't be surprised if your heart is touched after listening to the first few songs.
In my opinion, people will not be dissapointed with this album and it is a "must-buy" for true Sawyer Brown fans.
Pop it in the CD Player, sit back, relax, and enjoy the sounds that bring a bit of old and new back into the radio.

Average customer rating:

Deserving of twice the highest rating: TEN STARS
Right Album at the Wrong Time...Milsap's Forgotten Masterpiece from 1993
A Crime To Overlook This One

True Believer
Ronnie Milsap
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Country | Country | Styles | Music

Cowboy | Country | Styles | Music

General | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music
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Back to the Grindstone
Only One Love
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My Life

ASIN: B000008IHY
Release Date: 1993-07-27

Tracks:

Desire
I'm Playing For You
Somebody's Gonna Get That Girl
Better Off With The Blues
Hoss Allen Seque
True Believer
These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)
A Million Years 'Til Then
Desperate Man
Civil War
Please Jesus (Send My Baby Home To Me)

Customer Reviews:

Deserving of twice the highest rating: TEN STARS.......2006-07-08

I came upon this treasure in the cut-out bin of a local record store, two years after its 1993 release. Having long been a Milsap fan, I knew that I couldn't go wrong with anything from the Nashville-based legend.

"Breathtaking" is a gross understatement!!!

From the countrified funk of the first cut, "Desire," down to the down-home gospel "flava," of "Please Jesus (Send My Baby Home to Me)," the listener is in for auditory treat. In between those tracks are nine other gems that showcase the talented Mr. Milsap. "I'm Playing for You," and "Desperate Man" sound like the Ronnie Milsap that produced so many hits during the 80's while he waxes true nostalgia on the familiar standard "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)".

Milsap gets genuinely down and gritty with "Better Off With the Blues" and playful on "Somebody's Gonna Get That Girl."

"The Civil War" is a clever take on a marital relationship that has come to one of constant conflict, like "The War Between the States."

And for those of us that grew up in the Nashville area, the "Hoss Allen Seque" conjures up memories of radio station WLAC, which like the announcer, is a Nashville institution.

I just wish that this album had received better promotion for it is truly one of the best of the decade and one of the best from Ronnie Milsap.

Right Album at the Wrong Time...Milsap's Forgotten Masterpiece from 1993.......2006-04-27

After racking up an amazing forty #1 country singles for RCA from 1974 to 1989, Ronnie Milsap left the label after 20 years to sign with Liberty Records in 1993. True Believer was his first album for the label, and his first album to be ignored by radio despite the obvious quality of the music. Nashville's "young country" movement was in full swing when True Believer was released in the summer of '93, which meant nearly all country music veterans over the age of 35 had been kicked off country radio, and in many cases, their own record labels for being too old to appeal to the teenaged audience that Nashville wanted to win over.

Rather than sell out to the generic, twangy sounds of the cowboy clones then dominating the country scene, Milsap responded to the changing times with one of his strongest albums that clearly displays the remarkable versatility that makes this man one of the greatest vocalists/musicians of the past 35 years! There are pop ballads {both classic and modern}, country, rock, R&B, and even a touch of gospel on this CD which makes it one of Ronnie's most diverse albums.

The uptempo title track managed to make # 30 on the Billboard charts, while "I'm playing for you" is a great piano-based ballad that fared even worse on the charts. {It simply lacked the necessary nasal twang that Nashville wanted to hear out of its hot new stars.} "Desire" and "Desperate Man" are two strong R&B-flavored rockers that Ronnie delivers with his usual authority, but the highlight of the album is the dynamic "Better off with the Blues", a great modern blues tune that Milsap tears into with a gutsy and powerful vocal performance! Anyone who doubts that Ronnie Milsap is one of the best blues singers alive needs to crank up this song nice and loud! The man seriously needs to do a whole album of gritty blues material just like this!

"Civil War" is a dramatic country ballad with another great vocal performance from Ronnie, and "These foolish things" is Milsap's fine interpretation of a pop standard that would've fit perfectly on his last album project "Just for a Thrill". Ronnie isn't known for gospel style material, and we hear him cut loose with a group of female background singers on "Please Jesus, send my baby home to me" that closes the album. The only song here that could've been left off in my opinion is the lightweight tune "Somebody's gonna get that girl" which isn't up to the level of the rest of the tracks. Everything else is above average...and better than anything on Ronnie's new 2006 effort "My Life".

True Believer was sadly overlooked by the record buying public when it was released due to the lack of radio support it received, but don't let that stop you from picking up a copy if you can find one. This album is as good as any you'll hear by Ronnie Milsap or any country artist for that matter.

A Crime To Overlook This One.......2005-06-12

Ronnie recorded two albums for Capital, this is one of them, and it's never mentioned. This cd is the only one recorded by Ronnie for the Capital label that contains original material. "I'm Playing For You" got slight airplay and "These Foolish Things" is Ronnie's flirtation with a great standard that works beautifully. All the tracks needless to say are sung well and this album should have been more popular than it's ultimate fate, to be discarded by the label and routed directly to the budget rack before being taken out of print. During the research for Ronnie's masterful compilation "40 Number One's" which only contains 39 but who's counting, on the Virgin label, the producers of that project should have tried to get Capital's legal department to allow them to include "I'm Playing For You" on that set to keep it from being somewhat obsolete since it did not include anything from his post RCA tenure and jumped ahead to include two newly recorded tracks to "fill out" the project. The overall mastering is a bit quiet for 1993 but the sound level makes this album warmer and a bit more intimate. If ever spotted, pick this one up, luck may be had at a used cd store.

Average customer rating:

Perfect
A Wonderful Lady and Voice

True Believer
Irma Thomas
Manufacturer: Rounder Select
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Classic Female Vocal Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

General | R&B | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music

Vocal Blues | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | R&B | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B0000002ZQ
Release Date: 1992-08-24

Tracks:

Trying To Catch A Cab In The Rain
Can't You Hear It In My Tears
I Never Fool Nobody But Me
Smoke Filled Room
Big Talk
Chains Of Love
Heart Full Of Rain
Sweet Touch Of Love
I'll Be Satisfied
True Believer

Customer Reviews:

Perfect.......2006-01-30

I first heard of Irma Thomas by looking through various recomendations for her style of music on the Amazon web site. It seemed like no one had anything but positive things to say about her so I picked up 'True Believer'. Now I'm making everyone I know listen to this CD. It, to me, is perfect in so many ways. Every song is enjoyable. Irma Thomas nails each one with a delivery that's never exaggerated, always pitch perfect, with an obvious respect and understanding of each song's lyrics and mood.

This CD has become an instant favorite. I love 'Smoke Filled Room' and 'Heart Full of Rain'.

A Wonderful Lady and Voice.......2000-09-16

I first heard of Irma Thomas in a Jimmy Buffett song. He talked about Sweet Irma Thomas. I hadn't heard of her. Then I saw her on Austin City Limits. As soon as the show was over, I ran to buy a CD of hers. This was the first one I bought. It blew me away. Now I own a number of her CDs. I have given this one to my sister and a client. They both loved it as well. If you love R&B, Blues, or New Orleans music. You MUST have this in your collection.

Average customer rating:

E-type True Believer

True Believer
E-Type
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music
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Volta
Back to Black

ASIN: B000QCQD58
Release Date: 2007-05-28

Tracks:

True Believer (True Version)
True Believer (Extended Version)

Customer Reviews:

E-type True Believer.......2007-06-01

E-type does it again in this great single (to be included in his next album: Date of release: TBA). With great vocals, E-type does it again and has produced a wonderful piece of EuroDance

Average customer rating:

Worth Another Look
Great writing, great production, great guitar playing
True waste of time
Simply Amazing!
Stellar Performances

True Believer
Phil Keaggy
Manufacturer: Sparrow
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Christian Rock | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

General | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Christian Contemporary Music | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

220
Crimson & Blue
Way Back Home
Phil Keaggy
Hymnsongs

ASIN: B000005KXD
Release Date: 1995-05-23

Tracks:

The True Believers
Wild Heart
Only You (Can Wash My Sins Away)
Salvation Army Band
Don't Let Go Of My Heart
Son Of Man
And On That Day
Be Thou My Vision
Have Mercy Lord
The Survivor

Customer Reviews:

Worth Another Look.......2005-04-10

At the time this recording originally came out I was expecting something different from Phil. Or maybe I was in a different place musically, whatever, it didn't take ahold of me. I could say the same thing for "Invention", the great one-time collaboration with Scott Dente, Wes King, and Phil. And like that revording I have come back for another visit, after years have past.
I am listening as I type, and can't help thinking this REALLY was the CD Phil wanted to make. I believe it must be dear to his heart, for I can hear his passions show through.
His passion for the Lord, his passion for the unborn (note that he credits his son, Ian Keaggy, with "Heartbeat"), his passion to see other believers mature, and his obvious passion for the guitar.

What I see as the CD's weaknesses.
It truly could be longer, maybe a little more intrumental "open land" for Phil to stretch. As far as the production, it's a little more "produced" than some of Phil's other work. (That's not necessarily a bad thing.)

What I see as this CD's strengths.
Phil's voice sounds great. I recall reading Phil's comments about this CD before it was released. He felt that the producer, Alan Shacklock, was helping him to find different vocal treatments for the material. At times I stop and hear what he meant, when I don't totally recognize Phil's voice.

The guitar work is mostly well-showcased within the production, and exceptional, as we've come to expect from one of the greatest living guitarists. (listen to "Wild Heart" and "Salvation Army Band" for trademark, soaring Keaggy)

The songwriting is very good. Interestingly, only two songs claim soul writing credit as Phil. (the beautiful, George Harrison? Beatlesgue "Son of Man" and the earlier "The Survivor") A couple he co-wrote, and the majority seems to be by producer Shacklock. Maybe there is the secret why this CD sounds "different". If so, Phil sounds quite comfortable singing the lyrics of others.

All in all, this CD is worth keeping in my Keaggy collection, and as I said, definitely worth another look.

Great writing, great production, great guitar playing.......2003-11-22

I was surprised to see unfavorable reviews on this album by Keaggy fans. I am a long time music aficionado, espicially in guitar and creative composition/production. My view is that Keaggy was exploring the full range of rock music production and doing it as well or better than Rundgren and McCartney. The icing on cake is his unmatched guitar playing, which sounds totally hard-wired into his soul. Perhaps it's this "full throttle" approach that some are not comfortable with. I can listen to these songs over and over and find different and new subtleties to appreciate. My recommendation is "turn it up!"

True waste of time.......2003-11-12

This album bothered me so much that I wrote a letter to Keaggy, asking him why he had chosen to make such a mediocre record. My suspicion is that this is an album made as many Nashville albums are made; the tracks were virtually complete before Phil ever walked into the studio, and he just sang on them like a session vocalist would. Only "Son of Man" shows the real Keaggy; even some of the better songs, such as "Salvation Army Band" and "The Survivor" (a beautiful paean to the sanctity of life from the perspective of an unborn child threatened by abortion, originally from his "Underground" LP), are buried beneath the absurd weight of bombastic drum machines and layer upon layer of reverb-saturated synths. The fact that Keaggy did not work with this producer again is, to me, proof that this was a one-time-only shot at making a "hit" record that would expand Keaggy's success beyond his core audience; it probably worked, but it didn't result in much of an album for the "true" Keaggy fan.

Simply Amazing!.......2002-10-03

Every single song on this album is fantastic! True Believer will pick you up when your feeling down, and bring you closer to the Lord :) Keaggy's vocals are better than ever and so are his lyrics! If you liked his 'Sunday's Child' record then you'll love this.

Stellar Performances.......2002-03-13

I have been huge fan of Phil Keaggy's since Sunday's Child, and I think this was one of his best vocal (different catagory than his instrumental albums) albums to date. He stretched out with on the title track and added a spine tingling orchestral background to his powerful guitars and overdubbed lyrics. He reaches into new sounds with "Salvation Army Band" while still maintaining his grungier side with "Have Mercy Lord." The remake of his song "The Survivor" probably my favorite Keaggy song ever. The reviewers that gave this album one star have no idea what they're talking about.

Average customer rating:

True Believer
Bob Carlisle
Manufacturer: Sbme Special Mkts.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Christian Contemporary Music | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Butterfly Kisses
Father's Love
It Is Well with My Soul
Mighty Love
True Believer
You Must Have Been an Angel
Somewhere
Forgiveness
Heaven
River of Peace

Average customer rating:

Right Album at the Wrong Time...Milsap's Overlooked Masterpiece from 1993
It's Got Everything
Supremely soulful country/pop crooner
Soulful country from 1993

True Believer
Ronnie Milsap
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Desire
I'm Playing For You
Somebody's Gonna Get That Girl
Better Off With The Blues
Hoss Allen Seque
True Believer
These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)
A Million Years 'Til Then
Desperate Man
Civil War
Please Jesus (Send My Baby Home To Me)

Customer Reviews:

Right Album at the Wrong Time...Milsap's Overlooked Masterpiece from 1993.......2006-06-29

After racking up an amazing forty #1 country singles for RCA from 1974 to 1989, Ronnie Milsap left the label after 20 years to sign with Liberty Records in 1993. True Believer was his first album for the label, and his first album to be ignored by radio despite the obvious quality of the music. Nashville's "young country" movement was in full swing when True Believer was released in the summer of '93, which meant nearly all country music veterans over the age of 35 had been kicked off country radio, and in many cases, their own record labels for being too old to appeal to the teenaged audience that Nashville wanted to win over.

Rather than sell out to the generic, twangy sounds of the cowboy clones then dominating the country scene, Milsap responded to the changing times with one of his strongest albums that clearly displays the remarkable versatility that makes this man one of the greatest vocalists/musicians of the past 35 years! There are pop ballads {both classic and modern}, country, rock, R&B, and even a touch of gospel on this CD which makes it one of Ronnie's most diverse albums.

The uptempo title track managed to make # 30 on the Billboard charts, while "I'm playing for you" is a great piano-based ballad that fared even worse on the charts. {It simply lacked the necessary nasal twang that Nashville wanted to hear out of its hot new stars.} "Civil War" is a dramatic country ballad with a great vocal performance from Ronnie, and "These foolish things" is Milsap's fine interpretation of a pop standard that would've fit perfectly on his last album project "Just for a Thrill".

"Desire" and "Desperate Man" are two strong R&B-flavored rockers that Ronnie delivers with his usual authority, but the highlight of the album is the dynamic "Better off with the Blues", a great modern blues tune that Milsap tears into with a gutsy and powerful vocal performance! Anyone who doubts that Ronnie Milsap is one of the best blues singers alive needs to crank up this track nice and loud! The man seriously needs to do a whole album of gritty blues material just like this!

Ronnie isn't known for gospel style material, and it is nice to hear him cut loose with a group of female background singers on "Please Jesus, send my baby home to me" that closes the album. The only song here that could've been left off in my opinion is the lightweight tune "Somebody's gonna get that girl" which isn't up to the level of the rest of the tracks. Everything else is above average...and far better than anything on Ronnie's new 2006 effort "My Life".

True Believer was sadly overlooked by the record buying public when it was released due to the lack of radio support it received, but don't let that stop you from picking up a copy if you can find one. This album is as good as any you'll hear by Ronnie Milsap or any country artist for that matter.

It's Got Everything.......2003-11-28

Great Tunes from Milsap ranging from Bluesy, Pop, Soul, Country, Ballad, and Old Style Classic. Each song has been well crafted, his lyrics are good and the ballads are powerful. A great buy for any fan of music. If this is your first introduction to Ronnie Milsap you won't be disappointed.

Supremely soulful country/pop crooner.......2002-04-21

The fickleness of the music-buying public has affected many a great singer. Milsap, whose career has not seen a major hit in over a decade, deserves better.

This "cutout," released in 1993, is a standout with Milsap scoring on all cuts with his patented delivery, a combination of traditional country, pop, and R & B. Very few singers in the industry can do it like he can.

While singers of limited "talent" populate the airwaves," it is a shame that Milsap cannot get the attention worthy of him. At least at this reasonable price, some might discover one that should not have been relegated to obscurity.

Soulful country from 1993.......2000-10-31