Arden, North Carolina — “2022 was a bit of a stressful year for the Kingsmen,” confesses Alan Kendall, baritone singer for storied Southern Gospel quartet, The Kingsmen. “Not only were we tasked with finding a lead singer and tenor singer almost simultaneously, but Ray Dean Reese also began experiencing voice problems, and began relinquishing his spot in the front line of the group to Drew Laney. Thankfully, God knew that Thomas Nalley and Cole Watson would be facing similar transitions in their lives, and sent them our way. To my pleasant surprise, 2023 has probably been the best year the Kingsmen have had since I joined the group.”
Now, as if to put an exclamation mark on the assessment, The Kingsmen will release their first full-length album for Horizon Records since 2021’s More To The Story. Featuring the current lineup of Kendall, Laney, Nalley and Watson — and, on two memorable tracks, legendary bass singer Ray Dean Reese — Unstoppable God, now available for pre-save/add ahead of its February 16 release, offers convincing proof that, though the voices may have changed, the talent and faith that have sustained the group for more than half a century are as strong as ever. From the up-tempo opener, “Sound of The Righteous,” which employs piano, five-string banjo and fiddle to frame its joyous message of redemption at hand:
The time is near, it won’t be very long
The saints are on the move, and soon we’ll walk on holy ground
I hear the sound of the righteous marching home
to the majestically orchestrated closing “No Other King,” with its acknowledgement of Jesus’ sacrifice:
No other King would come here to be
Despised and rejected and nailed to a tree
Lay down His life for a sinner like me
I will ever sing
To no other King
the collection speaks with the blend of conviction and artistry that have animated The Kingsmen’s musical ministry from their earliest day. Working with creative director Brandon Reese, producer Jeff Collins has assembled, starting with first single, “Unstoppable God,” a set of fresh new songs — the lone exception being long-time fan favorite and current single, “I Just Stopped By On My Way Home” — that exemplify the quartet’s ability to place a wide range of styles and sounds in the service of their single message of faith.
“When we finished in the studio,” recalls Kendall, “Our producer Jeff Collins said, ‘Well, the Kingsmen have done it again.’ As flattering as that kind gesture is, I’d have to say that God did it again. I could not have put this team together myself. The dedication and obedience of Ray and Brandon Reese to God’s calling on their lives is strong, and God has just proven that His favor in our ministry supersedes anything that the enemy may try to use against those who belong to Jesus. Unstoppable God is a testimony of my life, it’s a testimony of the Kingsmen, and I believe it will be the testimony of a lot of our listeners. I’ve seen His hand work miracles in my life, in such a way that I knew it was His will and not mine. We serve an unstoppable God, whose word, whose love, and whose plan for our lives is infallible!”
Pre-save/add Unstoppable God HERE.
