Regina Vandereijk: an astonishing debut from the Netherlands by way of North Carolina
Reviews by Robert M. Marovich
‘…grounded in the acoustic singer-songwriter tradition…’
LOVE CALLED HER HOME (EP)
Regina Vandereijk
Royal Increase Music
Sometimes you come across a singer of significant sensitivity and sometimes you come across a skillful songwriter, but rarely do you come across someone who combines both. Regina Vandereijk has both.
Regina is a worship leader and co-founder of a discipleship school called Royal Increase in Gouda, NL, where she co-leads a collective of artists, with her husband, Willo. Regina was born and raised in the mountains of North Carolina, but currently resides with Willo in Gouda, Netherlands.
Regina’s style of sacred music, grounded in the acoustic singer-songwriter tradition, is on full display on her four-track EP Love Called Her Home. To her folk style she adds doses of blues, gospel, and country. The result is a mix of the Christian balladry of Lauren Daigle, the earthiness and commanding conviction of Wynonna Judd, even the moral authority of Mahalia Jackson. She is that formidable. Once again the gospel world has produced the greatest new voice of the year and one of the finest young songwriters.
‘Oh Jesus,’ Regina Vandereijk, from Love Called Her Home (EP)
‘Love Called Her Home,’ Regina Vandereijk, from Love Called Her Home (EP)
The title track is just as strong melodically and even more powerful lyrically as “Oh Jesus (The Glory of the King).” With country crossover appeal, “Love Called Her Home” is about the transformative experience of salvation. “Mighty Waters (Midnight Moon)” has the distinct echo of a hundred folksongs. Regina’s opening shouts of “freedom” and the swampy guitar and organ on “Victory” lend the selection a Rhiannon Giddens feel.
‘Victory (Freedom),’ Regina Vandereijk, from Love Called Her Home
‘Mighty Waters (Midnight Moon),’ Regina Vandereijk, from Love Called Her Home
Although she now lives in the Netherlands, Regina Vandereijk gets her rootsy groove from her North Carolina birthplace. I hope she releases a full-length album in the near future. She’s an impressive talent that deserves greater attention –Robert M. Marovich
Picks: “Oh Jesus,” “Love Called Her Home”
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The Nelons: Rest in Peace (Photo: Russ Harrington)
Rest in Peace…
LOVING YOU
The Nelons
Daywind Records
Listening to the Nelons’ Loving You is bittersweet, knowing it is the final album to feature Kelly Nelon Clark, Amber Nelon Kistler, and Jason Clark, three of the four group members killed in a July 26 plane crash that also claimed the lives of Amber’s husband Nathan Kistler and friends Melodi Hodges, Larry Haynie, and Melissa Haynie.
What should have been a celebratory album launch is now a memorial tribute to a beloved southern gospel group.
The album’s overarching theme is love in its various manifestations. “That’s What Love Is” is a country pop song about showing love by helping one another. Fiddle and other string band instruments weave through the tight harmonies and lovely melody. The title track is a gently rhythmic ballad about God’s love for each of us long before we came into being. “Three Nails Instead” is an ode to Jesus’s ultimate love for humankind. “God Won’t” is a paean to the constancy of the Most High, whose love is such that he won’t leave us even when others do.
‘He Looked Beyond My Faults,’ The Melons, from Loving You
The Nelons open a breathtaking a cappella version of Dottie Rambo’s “He Looked Beyond My Faults” with its echoes of “Shenandoah” and the wordless motif sung by Norwegian sensation Sissel for director James Cameron’s 1997 Titanic epic. The arrangement, with cascading harmonies, is ideal for a church or college choir.
The Gaither Vocal Band and Christian music vocalist Joseph Habedank feature on “Moses,” an Appalachian folk-tinged tale on the life of the biblical figure. The melodic ballad “River of Peace” features Spanish-language lyrics courtesy of singer-songwriter-producer Martin Trevox (aka NT Martin).
‘That’s What Love Is,’ The Nelons, from Loving You
The single, “There’s a Hole in the Heart” is an optimistic appeal from veteran songwriters Bill Gaither and Larry Gatlin for social-emotional healing in America. “Somewhere along the way we lost our song,” the Nelons sing about the nation’s residents, interpolating a bit of the camp meeting favorite “Revive Us Again” for good measure. Would that Bill and Larry had joined the group on the track. The bittersweet “We’ve Always Had a Song” concludes the project, reminding us that the Nelons always shared a song “in the best and worst of times.” They sang them all sweetly to the very end. Their absence leaves a hole in our heart.
‘There’s a Hole in the Heart,’ The Nelons, song written by Bill Gaither and Larry Ratlin and featured on Loving You
There’s no harmony like family harmony, and the Nelons bring their trademark sumptuous blend to Loving You. The ten radio-sized songs are produced by Gaither, Gordon Mote, Jason Clark, and Wayne Haun. –Robert M. Marovich
Picks: “He Looked Beyond My Faults,” “That’s What Love Is,” “River of Peace”
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Gospel Christmas Singles 2024
“This Child of Bethlehem”
Amanda Joy Powell
Independent
“This Child of Bethlehem” is a refreshing pause from the cycle of well-worn carols that waft through the air this time of year. To a delicate arrangement and a disarming melody that is equal parts CCM and musical theater, Powell sings about the angels and shepherds who worshipped the infant child who would soon change everything. Her voice is evocative of Amy Grant. It’s the first digital single released by the Ontario-born singer-songwriter who makes her home in Cumberland, Virginia. a–Robert M. Marovich
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“Drummer Boy”
The Disciple Travelers
Independent
In the spirit of The Persuasions, The Disciple Travelers gospel quartet performs a spectacular percussive a cappella version of “Drummer Boy.” In many respects, the track is reminiscent of the Drifters’ “White Christmas” in its doo-wop-influenced take on a beloved holiday song with the bass voice playing a conspicuous role, albeit here as a beat boxer. Like the Persuasions, the Travelers, formed in 1982, emulate the sound of instruments to lay the foundation for the harmonies. A fun take on a fun song. –Robert M. Marovich
Chicago-based Bob Marovich launched The Journal of Gospel Music on the tenth anniversary of its predecessor website, The Black Gospel Blog, which he founded July 28, 2004, as the first blog to cover African American gospel music. He is a gospel music historian, author and radio host. Since 2001 he has produced “Gospel Memories,” a show featuring classic gospel, spiritual and jubilee music, as well as interviews with gospel legends. It airs Saturday mornings on Chicago’s WLUW-FM and throughout the week on several Internet and low-power FM radio stations throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Bob’s work has been published in the Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music (Routledge 2005), Encyclopedia of African American Music (Greenwood Publishing 2010), and in the ARSC Journal of the Association of Recorded Sound Collections.
