“Making A Way ” Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson & the Spiritual Voices

“Making a Way”
Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson & the Spiritual Voices
From the CD Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson Presents: The Rising Stars of Quartet, Vol. 1
www.malaco.com

A quartet singer since the age of five, when he joined his father’s group, the Spiritual Voices, Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson is an ambassador of traditional gospel quartet for the contemporary stage.

In February 2008, Johnson gave back to the genre that has been so good to him by presenting The Rising Stars of Quartet, Vol. 1 (Malaco). The collection gives props, and broader exposure, to four emerging groups: Tim Rogers and the Fellas, Jewel and Converted, Brothers in Christ, and Marble Twins and Company.

“Making a Way” is one of three songs Johnson performed himself on the project. If, like me, you are more familiar with Johnson’s rousing hand-clappers, “Making a Way” is somewhat of a departure, a side of Johnson of which I certainly wasn’t aware.

It’s a slow, soulful ballad with a contemporary edge, although by the end, Johnson is all about hard singing and preaching, while the Spiritual Voices’ high Violinaires-like harmonies provide the backdrop. It’s a reminder that no matter what, you can’t the tradition out of the traditionalist.