Russ Taff - Beginnings

Published Monday 2nd June 2014
Russ Taff - Beginnings
Russ Taff - Beginnings

STYLE: Pop
RATING 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 148547-22134
LABEL: Word 0080688888121
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1
RELEASE DATE: 2014-02-24
RRP: £1.00

Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Note, this is not really a Russ Taff album. What Word Records have done is take a batch of oldies that The Imperials recorded between 1977 and 1981 when Russ was their featured lead singer and put them out on this 12-song compilation. Apart from the questionable packaging, this is still sounds pretty good today as it dates from the era when The Imperials were moving from being a Southern gospel group to bring pop, soul and even rock elements into their sound and in the process become one of CCM's first big sellers. Thanks to top rate production from Michael Omartian, who produced the 'Priority' (four tracks) and 'One More Song For You' (five tracks) albums, the music here is dated less than you'd expect and "The Trumpet Of Jesus", "Higher Power" and "Closer Than Ever" all show off Russ's blue-eyed soul tones fairly effectively. The last three tracks from the Chris Christian-produced 'Heed The Call' album, are more dated and less enjoyable than the Omartian tracks but this is still an interesting reminder of just how good a singer the Grammy-winning Taff actually is.

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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Product Description
It all started in the mid-1970s, when a 21-year-old Russ Taff formed a local band called Sounds Of Joy. As the band gained in popularity they got the opportunity of a lifetime and were asked to open for the legendary Imperials. And it didn't take long for the Imperials to recognise a voice that would successfully complete a musical transition from traditional to CCM. So, in 1976 Russ was invited to join the Imperials as lead singer. And as they say, the rest is history!

Russ spent four and a half years with the Imperials, gaining recognition as the voice behind some of the biggest songs in CCM. This 12-song collection features Russ at his very best during his days with the Imperials - taken from Grammy and Dove Award winning albums Priority, One More Song For You and Heed The Call.

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