Reviewed by Brian Carr

This DVD from the Gaither Homecoming series was a sure fire winner with this reviewer even before the disc escaped its cover. This assurance came from my long time admiration for the vocal qualities of this seasoned gospel singer. Somewhere in the dark recesses of my loft, Russ Taff's career is chronicled in a collection of vinyl albums. Ah, the memories are flooding back, the excitement of his debut on 'Sail On' when he took his place with top line male group The Imperials, going on to become, in my view, the bedrock upon which the group's success was founded during his tenure between 1977 and 1981. This was followed by an inevitable solo career kick-started with the Grammy-winning 'Walls Of Glass'. Russ confesses to having eclectic musical tastes and has proven with a total of five Grammy Awards and nine Gospel Music Association Dove Awards that he can wrap his soul-drenched vocal chords around many musical styles. The pull of his childhood roots of Southern gospel surfaced with guest appearances on the Homecoming tour and in 2001 he took his place as baritone in the famed Gaither Vocal Band and during almost three years produced back-to back Grammy nominations. In 2004 Russ returned to his solo artist status on the tour and Bill Gaither takes time to hold a relaxed interview interspersed with Russ performing some of his classic songs. Americans have their own inimitable style, sometimes hard to digest on this side of the pond, but this DVD has moments when Russ allows himself to be vulnerable about questions of fatherhood, mistakes and pressures of being in the spotlight. Out of this grows a greater appreciation of not only a great singer, but on the evidence of this DVD someone who has experienced the forgiveness of God. Reality shines through what are more than just performances. I was moved and uplifted by this DVD and how I would have loved to been at the concerts for real.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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