Ronnie Diamond Sings the Songs of James Myers

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog

Born in Buffalo, New York, James Myers was saved at age 24 and abandoned the entertainment lifestyle to assist Pastor David Costantino at Lighthouse BaptistChurch in North Tonawanda, NY.  Myers and his wife Cindy later became missionaries out of Parker Memorial Baptist Church, under Dr. Don Green.  They traveled the country raising money to print the King James Bible in 51 different languages.

Myers was inspired to write religious songs after receiving custody of his three grandchildren or, as he puts it, they “inspired my thoughts into song.”  Although originally written for informal family night worship sessions, Myers’ compositions found a sounding board in Ronnie “Diamond” Hoard of the New Ohio Players.  Hoard and Myers agreed to collaborate on an album to give the songs a wider audience.  Ronnie Diamond Sings the Songs of James Myersis the product of that partnership.

The straightforward songs and arrangements on the seven-track album contain strains of country, CCM, and contemporary gospel.  They are led by Hoard’s pleasant baritone and guitar work, as well as uncredited background vocalists and a fine female soloist who assists on a couple of the tracks.  The most Hoard-like selection is “It Takes Love” because of its smooth jazz feel. “Jesus Will Meet Me There” benefits from Hoard’s relaxed, confident vocal delivery.

“Who Prayed For Me” is a tribute to those anonymous prayer warriors in everyone’s lives.  It has the most lyric character and the greatest potential to be picked up by other gospel artists.  The singers demonstrate some difficulty navigating a couple of the harmonic sections, however, which suggests the song could have benefited from a bit more rehearsal.

Nevertheless, Ronnie Diamond Sings the Songs of James Myers makes it apparent that the two collaborators—songwriter and song stylist—are well-matched.