The Cerces-Treasures…Old And New
This is the first of what I intend to be many reviews of gospel albums from the past and present that I feel are worthy of distinction.
This first project I’m examining is by a group of wonderful Christian people and dear friends of mine, the Cerces….consisting of manager, pianist, and baritone Cliff Cerce, his wife Anita, and brand new lead singer Andy Fauth. To my knowledge, this is the group’s first recording with Fauth…and the best of their brief career to date.
Cliff has played piano with many groups in the past, primarily in the Northeast. He is perhaps best remembered for his work with the Gabriels, a trio that included such talented singers as Frank Sanchez and Ron Hensley. A native of New Jersey, he was drawn into gospel music by the music of the legendary Couriers, who attracted many youngsters in the Northeast to gospel music.
When Cliff started the Cerces just a few years ago, he wanted to have a group that brought the same attributes to gospel music as did the Couriers, a group that was both musically excellent and spiritually above reproach. The group has had its ups and downs during their short lifespan, but with this release, they have come closer than ever to realizing Cliff’s vision for them.
The title is appropriate for this CD…the songs are excellent, and not only will they bless listeners, but they will also bring back precious memories to long time gospel fans.
The project has 14 songs…a refreshing feature in this day and age of 10-song projects(which, to a person raised on 12-song albums, always make me feel as though I’m being shortchanged)…and, as if to illustrate Cliff’s musical debt to the Couriers, no less than 7 of the songs are adaptations of old Courier material. In addition, four of the songs are written by ex-Courier lead singer Neil Enloe…in my humble opinion, there is no better source to go to to find great song material for a project.
One song is written by Enloe’s brother Phil, two by Mosie Lister, and one each by Lee Roy Abernathy and Bob Robinson(the Sons of Song), and one by arranger extraordinaire Lari Goss..certainly an All-Star lineup.
The project begins with Phil Enloe’s “Sheep And Goats”…I’m guessing it will be the first single released, and it is a fine, catchy opener…the group has fun with it.
Then it’s on to the first of the Neil Enloe songs, “I’m Clean”, a song Enloe wrote toward the end of the Couriers’ first run. The Cerces’ version sounds a great deal like the Couriers’ version…not quite so polished vocally, but Cliff and Fauth do get the most from the lyrics.
Then comes Goss’ “Living Deep”, featuring fine convention-style singing from the group…but it could use some more energy from Anita. This is followed by another uptempo number, Neil Enloe’s “He’ll Be There”…a song the Couriers did in the very early days of their trio years. Again, the Cerces stick pretty much to the Couriers’ arrangement(never a bad thing), but again they lack the polish and energy of the original.
The next two are slower songs that I feel are among the highlights of the project. Mosie Lister’s “Man On The Middle Cross”(kudos to Cliff for bringing this song back), recorded by the Rebels in the early 1960s, is updated nicely by the Cerces and features a strong vocal by Fauth. “One In The Lord” is a song of unity with full orchestration which might be the strongest vocal done by the Cerces to date.
The first half closes with one of my favorite Neil Enloe songs, “Open My Understanding”, featuring a fine lead by Cliff. I might add here that the vocal blend on this album is the smoothest and most professional sounding yet done by the Cerces to date in their career…showing how much they have learned from the Couriers.
“The Old Landmark” is next, and while energetic, could have been a bit smoother. Again, this is based on the Couriers’ version from their very first trio album in 1967. And the next song is based on an even older Courier recording than that…it is the old Bob Robinson classic “Jesus Knows About You”, a big song for the Couriers during their quartet years when “Little” David Young was with them…Young sang on the Couriers’ version, and the arrangement is one of the Couriers’ most intricate. The Cerces sing it with grace and feeling, and it is another highlight of this recording.
Anita Cerce is still in her growth process as a singer…she has improved appreciably of late, blending better with the group than ever before. She still needs, though, to sing her solos with more vocal energy and confidence….though in a sense, I might not be making a fair comparison, since she is singing a lot of Duane Nicholson’s vocal parts, and few have sung with more passion, power, technique, and feeling than Duane. Here she is singing Young’s part, but Young was also a fine, passionate tenor as a singer. Most people would fall short by this comparison, but Anita is coming…with more experience, she is bound to keep improving.
“No More” is next…the Duane Allen song written with Jake Hess in mind in the mid 1960s…this version again is modeled on the Couriers’ version…and that means it is well done, if not spectacular. This is another song that ought to be sung more these days.
Neil Enloe’s “He Will See You Through” is next…using the same track the Couriers used in 1970…so we have the Cerces singing with the London Symphony Orchestra….this is another Courier arrangement done well by the Cerces.
Another old Couriers Quartet number is next…”Led Out Of Bondage”, featuring Cliff. The number is appropriately energetic, and has a fine ending…with Anita’s high note on the end a highlight.
The last song on the project from the Courier catalog is Mosie Lister’s “While Ages Roll”, a song the Couriers sang a lot in the late 1960s. Again, Fauth does a strong lead vocal, and this song is another highlight of the album.
The project closes with Abernathy’s “He’s A Personal Savior”, another song the Couriers did often in the 1960s. It closes the CD on a fun note, and Cliff even does a creditable job on the bass line in the chorus.
Thanks is given on the CD notes to Neil and Phil Enloe(who did the cover art on the CD as well), and Don Baldwin…again paying appropriate homage to the Couriers, who Cliff has wisely used as a model for his group. With this release, the Cerces have finally crossed the line from merely paying tribute to the Couriers to following in their heritage, which is no mean feat. Would that more gospel artists would use the Couriers as a model for their musical careers.
Again, this is the Cerces’ best project to date. Good songs performed well, and a delight to listen to…some of these songs might make for a good soundtrack to your quiet time as well. Good job, Cliif, Anita, and Andy.
As the Cerces continue to work hard, their sound will continue to improve…but they know that following in the Courier legacy is not easy…it involves commitment and hard work. But the old Couriers are impressed with the Cerces, and I feel if you give them a chance, they’ll do the same for you.
Posted on Apr 25, 2006 - 07:59 PM | [5]
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inquirer1 Says: 
April 26th, 2006 at 8:49 pm e
Thank you, John, for what I feel is a fair review. In all honesty, we never approached this project with the expectation that we would achieve a sound as polished and awesome as The Couriers did on these songs. Nevertheless, we decided to go ahead with this tribute to them and their music anyway for several reasons.
First of all, we felt a tribute should be made to them. They have made a great contribution to the ministry and to this Industry, as well as having taken the time to mentor us in many ways, and we felt that honor was due them because of this.
Also, although we realized we would not raise to the level of their excellence musically, we also realized that no one else in the Industry was even attempting to do some of this wonderful classic material of theirs. At least, we were willing to try. And, we felt that at least someone should try to keep some of their great songs alive, and be singing them in programs across the nation today.
And, we could not find better songs to sing than the ones we “borrowed” from their repertoire. And, why try to re-arrange all of them - just to be different. Neil Enloe and Little David Young are 2 of the greatest arrangers Gospel Music has ever seen - and why try to re-invent the wheel - especially replacing it with something inferior? In some instances, we changed things to tailor them better to our voices and situation, but we offer no apologies for singing some of these songs as originally arranged - anymore than the Dove Brothers and early Cathedrals have apologized for re-creating the great arrangements of The Statesmen - note for note in many cases.
But, there was a great challenge in doing this, that we could not work around. Neither Andy nor I can sing as high as Neil and Don Baldwin did in their quartet days (as 2nd tenor and baritone), and Andy cannot sing as high as Neil did as 2nd tenor in the trio days. So, we had to lower their music just a little in order for us to be able to sing their parts. Anita got short-changed in the process. Duane’s tenor parts were already pitched lower in the original Courier arrangements and keys than the range she naturally and comfortably sings in - so many of Duane’s parts were low for her in the keys where they were originally sung. How unfair to her for us to lower the keys even more - and cause her to sing those parts even lower than Duane did originally - while trying to still project the energy and “brightness” in the tenor leads and parts that we all remember from those great original performances. She was a real trooper in working incredibly hard in the recording sessions to attempt to make notes in the middle of her range appear to sound as if they were toward the top of her range - where all is naturally bright and exciting.
I have promised her that the next album will have leads that are tailor-made for her voice and range - and I am sure she will hold me to it.
This is our 4th project in the last 2 1/2 years - and about the 60th I have been associated with in my career as a singer, producer, arranger and recording engineer. It has been the most challenging and hardest work I have ever attempted in the studio.
I have a new appreciation for the original Couriers and the sound they have flawlessly created consistently over the years. I get tired just thinking about it. I believe they are impossible to imitate - certainly by us.
But, I have never had such fun working on an album.