Arden, North Carolina (February 14, 2023) — When a legendary group takes on legendary songs, the results are bound to be special—and indeed, the first two collections of favorites from the Kingdom Heirs were so well received that the quartet has returned to the well once more for Something Good, Volume 3, on Sonlite Records. The album is now available for pre-order, add or save ahead of its April 7 release.
Like its predecessors, Something Good, Volume 3 finds the famed ensemble — now boasting a new lineup as they head toward their 40th year as Dollywood’s resident gospel group — drawing from the deep well of long-beloved yet ever-timely songs to create an album that that will not only bring old memories to life, but make new ones, too.
“Over the past 6 years, we’ve recorded a series of albums entitled Something Good,” says singer Loren Harris. “This is the third volume in that series, with the current lineup of myself on lead and Andy Stringfield on baritone along with Jacob Ellison and Jeff Chapman on tenor and bass respectively. This recording, like the two before it, has some of our favorite songs that have been recorded over the years by other groups, by groups that we may have performed with, or remakes of Kingdom Heir classics!”
From the opening “I’m Forgiven,” a spirited, horn- and piano-driven celebration of God’s mercy that dates back to the late 1970s, to the classic quartet sound of the closing “Glory Road,” first introduced in 1973 by The Kingsmen, Something Good, Volume 3 is a loving survey of Gospel music treasures, each given the Kingdom Heirs’ unique treatment. Country flavors predominate, with the pedal steel guitar and harmonica making regular appearances alongside the ever-present keyboards, but there is room for much more, too, including elaborate orchestrations that surround the quartet’s voices with a rich sonic tapestry on songs such as The Kingsmen’s “The Cross Has Won Again,” Happy Goodman Family’s “That Sounds Like Home To Me” and The Perrys’ “He Will Hide Me,” and a two-part arrangement of “Moving Up To Gloryland” that puts the Kingdom Heirs’ own unique stamp on the popular favorite. Indeed, with each song, whether it features Harris, Stringfield, Ellison or Chapman — or all four voices throughout — the Kingdom Heirs manage to summon echoes of earlier performances while shining through with a musical character and a spiritual richness that’s all theirs.
Says Harris, “I think you’ll enjoy this trip down memory lane as we relive this wonderful music that we love to sing” — and if the enthusiastic reception given by their fans to the previous volumes of Something Good is any indication, it’s a trip listeners will be happy to take over and over again.Pre-order, add or save Something Good, Volume 3 HERE.
About the Kingdom Heirs
From the Mountains of East Tennessee, Southern Gospel Music fills the air and is the home of The Kingdom Heirs, one of Southern Gospel Music’s top Male Quartets. The group started performing in local churches and concert halls and as their music and message spread to a wider audience, so did their popularity and demand. Later in 1982 they began singing at the Silver Dollar City theme park, which is now Dollywood. In 1986 when the theme park took on their new name, The Kingdom Heirs were asked to become the resident gospel group and now this year, both The Kingdom Heirs and Dollywood are celebrating 34 years. Not only are they one of Dollywood’s favorites, but a favorite to millions everywhere.
The Kingdom Heirs have been nominated many times for industry awards such as The SGMA Awards, Dove Awards and The Singing News Fan Awards. Winning Newcomer Group of the Year in 1989, the group has been a constant favorite. The latest award is 2020 Band of the Year, which the band also won in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2015,2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. They have also had many top ten songs, and currently have had 40 top 5 songs in a row and 12 number 1 songs including “Come To The Well,” “I’ll Know I’m Home,” “The Borrowed Tomb,” “Just Beyond The Sunset” (Nominated for Song of the Year), “Just Preach Jesus” (Nominated for Song of the Year), “Tell Me Why” and “He Locked The Gates.” Two songs “The Chain Gang” and “Pieces” off of their highly successful album, A New Look, were nominated for a Dove Award in 2016. Their album The Last Big Thing debuted at #1 on the Billboard Charts in October 2017 followed by another Billboard debut with Something Good Vol Two in May 2019 and another with Everything In Between in October of 2019.
