SPOTLIGHT CD REVIEW: BORN & RAISED- MATT FOUCH
SOUTHERN GOSPEL SPOTLIGHT PRESENTS:
CD REVIEW:
BORN & RAISED
MATT FOUCH
RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 27, 2017
PRODUCER: TREY IVEY, JOHN ROWSEY
BACKGROUND VOCALS: JOHN ROSWEY, PAUL LANCASTER (BOOTH BROTHERS)
SPECIAL GUESTS: LEGACY FIVE (JOSH FEEMSTER, SCOTT FOWLER, SCOTT HOWARD)
SONG LIST:
God's Gonna Cut You Down
He Set Me Free
Hold Me
I Just Came To Talk With You Lord
I'd Rather Have Jesus
Led Out Of Bondage (ft. Legacy Five)
Sixteen Tons
The Way He Was Raised
This Ole House (ft. Legacy Five)
Wayfaring Stranger
THOUGHTS:
Southern Gospel music is known for its incredible bass vocalists. George Younce, JD Sumner, Big Chief, Rex Nelon, and Tim Riley are just some of the men who have paved the way for the bass singers of today. All of these men serve as inspiration for Legacy Five bass singer, Matt Fouch. Fouch, born in Muncie, Indiana in 1982, was raised on Southern Gospel and Country music and sang in church. His family introduced him to many of the great groups and artists such as The Cathedrals, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Johnny Cash and many others. Fouch cites George Younce as his favorite bass singer and is honored to be singing some of his songs with L5. Before joining Legacy Five, he served as bass vocalist with Soul’d Out Quartet for eight years beginning in 2004. Though he is a quartet man, Fouch has always wanted to record a solo project. This finally became a reality this year in the form of Born & Raised. Released on October 27th, this album is a collection of songs that Fouch was “born and raised” on including: “Wayfaring Stranger,” “Sixteen Tons,” and “Hold Me.” Fouch also included “I’d Rather Have Jesus,” which is his mother’s favorite song as he felt that would be appropriate for the title Born & Raised. Trey Ivey produced the tracks and John Rowsey produced the vocals. Both Rowsey and Paul Lancaster recorded the background vocals. Legacy Five appears on two tracks: the classic “This Ole House," which stays true to the Cathedrals version, and “Led Out Of Bondage," which is a fun cover that fits his voice well. Fouch recorded many classic songs for this CD which are sure to delight listeners. His smooth upper register is showcased beautifully on great ballads: "I Just Came To Talk With You Lord," "I'd Rather Have Jesus," and "Hold Me." The latter is one of my favorite George Younce features and I must say Fouch does it justice. Another powerful ballad is the thought provoking "The Way He Was Raised," which tells the story of Jesus with a play on the word raised. The first half of the song refers to the way he was raised by His parents and the last chorus refers to His Resurrection. Fouch's vocal performance is simply brilliant on this well written lyric. This is definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album. Fouch also includes several mid-tempo tracks including: the groovy Tennessee Ernie Ford classic "Sixteen Tons," the driving beat filled Johnny Cash tune "God's Gonna Cut You Down," and the swinging quartet classic "He Set Me Free," which has Fouch on the lead part. This great recording closes with an impressive rendition of the classic "Wayfaring Stranger," which showcases Fouch's incredible range. I would advise listening to this track with headphones as he hits several Earth shaking low notes.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
IF YOU LOVE GREAT BASS SINGING AND CLASSIC SOUTHERN GOSPEL, THEN THIS CD IS FOR YOU!! MATT FOUCH IS ONE OF SOUTHERN GOSPEL MUSIC'S BEST BASS SINGERS ON THE ROAD TODAY IN MY OPINION. THIS CD SHOWCASES HIS IMPRESSIVE VOCAL RANGE AND HIS HEART FOR CHRIST. OVERALL, THIS CD IS A MUST BUY. GREAT SONG SELECTION, PRODUCTION QUALITY AND VOCALS.
5 OUT 5 STARS!
FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.legacyfive.com and www.onthecouchwithfouch.com