THE KEVIN PRATER BAND, WERE YOU THERE

THE KEVIN PRATER BAND
WERE YOU THERE

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This is Prater’s full gospel release with a new band that includes Prater (mandolin, guitar), Tom Timberlake (banjo), Albon Clevenger (fiddle), Cole Spears (guitar), and Danny Stiltner (bass). Prater’s career with such bands as James King and Melvin Goins, as well as influential mentoring by Allen Mills, Dempsey Young, Ralph Stanley, and others, has allowed Prater to play in over 22 countries during his more than thirty-year career.

On this project, Prater has selected a number of gospel favorites spliced in with some lesser-known songs of faith. Included are favorites such as the title “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord,” “Lord Don’t Leave Me Here,” “Shoutin’ On The Hills Of Glory,” “The Model Church,” “When The Sun Of My Life Goes Down,” and the patriotic “Waiting For The Boys To Come Home.” The CD kicks off with Timberlake’s driving banjo on “Honey In The Rock,” which introduces Prater’s nice lead vocal and the group’s tight harmony.

Throughout the project, each instrument provides a solid foundation for the arrangements, with each getting lead spots to take. The two a cappella selections “Lord Don’t Leave Me Here” and “When The Sun Of My Life Goes Down” are reminiscent of the Country Gentlemen. The title cut and “The Model Church” are given the simple arrangement of guitar backing with close harmony. This is a nice project from Prater; unfortunately, there is no booklet, just a one-page info sheet. More information about the players and the songs would have been a nice addition to this well-done project. (Kevin Prater, 15691 Ferrells Creek Rd., Belcher, KY 41513, www.thekevinpraterband.com.)BF