Reviewed by Jane Benson

This is an album which was recorded on the campus of Southern California College in Costa Mesa at the 1977 Alumni Homecoming Celebration as SCC is Ralph's Alma Mater class of 1947. Ralph is a legend in his own time including lengthy associations with ministries as diverse as Billy Graham and Andrae Crouch. Here he returns to his "big band1 roots with a great sound and it brought to mind the days of romance and intimacy. There are many styles of music contained on this album from folk rock to Spiritual and with this variety it makes it a very exciting happening due to the excellence of the musicians along with the special arrangements. It kicks off with "Here And Now" sung by Larnelle Harris. Straight away you know you are into something different and quite exciting. The fact that you can hear the audience participation also adds a rich atmosphere to a very special occasion. I gave first place to "Come On Home" (track seven). This was about the prodigal son's return and sung with such joy and celebration, which is the way I know God feels about us. The old spiritual "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen" is another track which greatly impressed me. The musical arrangement of the alto and tenor sax along with the keyboards, breath box and horn section on this track certainly make that very special ingredient that says, "Hey, listen to this, something really creative is happening." The only thing that I was slightly disappointed with was some of the lyrics were outdated which took something away from an otherwise outstanding album.

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