Based out of Millbank, Ontario, Rescue Junction has been
travelling and singing together since 2009.
They started out as brother and sister duo Kyle (mandolin/vocals) and
Kaitlyn (guitar/vocals) Gerber. Now the
group’s roster includes Roger Martin on banjo, Dallas Roth on upright bass, and
Nick Huber on dobro. Their official
website says they “play at many kinds of venues including churches, parks,
community centres, auditoriums, and the bluegrass festival circuit”. Rescue Junction was named Most Promising
Group (2013) and Gospel Group (2014) at the Central Canada Bluegrass Music
Awards. Their brand new album is ECHOES
(2015). It was produced by the group and
Brad Dugas, and engineered and mixed by Dugas.
The liner notes include these thoughts: “All creation echoes an eternal
home...Life on earth is a constant negotiation of two realities, nurturing and
investing in the physical world around us while also preparing our souls for
the eternal home we anticipate”.
The title track ‘Echoes’ is first up. It is one of five songs on the album penned
by Kaitlyn E. Gerber. This pleasant
country song anticipates Heaven: “We
were left with a promise of somewhere to belong/This fallen world we’re given
is just a stepping stone/We were told of a coming, a new world without end/And
if we listen closely, it echoes back again/Echoes from a home I’ve never
known/But I know that’s where I’m going/It’s where I’m bound”. ‘Along the Way’ is one of two Ron Block
compositions. This toe-tapping bluegrass
number includes these poetic musings: “The double mind goes to and fro trying
to believe/The single life of faith it knows and walks by what it sees/The
Saviour drank His golden fill, faithful to the end/He called the cross His
Father’s will/Said Judas was His friend”.
‘Steel Wheels’ has lyrics that those who don’t like the hustle and
bustle of cities will appreciate: “Well, they say the more things change the
more they stay the same, but in my sleepy town I wouldn’t know that’s true/The
neighbours are the same since 1988 and I wouldn’t change it even if I
could/Well, things move a little slower in our little town, a take time to
smell the roses sort of thing/On every hill and riverside a memory of a
childhood that would rival any king’s”.
Summer McMahan of Mountain Faith appears on ‘In the Shadow
of Your Wings’. The song has a calming
effect and converses freely with God: “A sparrow won’t try to deserve You/He’ll
trust You to feed Him again/No man can gain Your approval but by faith in the
One who washed away my sin/Oh, I want to fly like a sparrow who fears not the
wrath from Your hand/He sings in the shadow of Your wings”. ‘Hold On’ has a pulsating beat and makes good
use of backing vocals. This song reminds
us that we need God as our sure anchor: “You can’t make it alone, you won’t
find your way on your own/It’s a long road and hard cross to bear, and a dream
if you think you’ll get there on your own/So hold on to the Rock/Stand firm,
stand strong/Hold on or be lost/Narrow the road going home and heavy the heart
on its own/Hold on”. Ila Chandler Knight
wrote the Southern Gospel gem ‘I’ll Live Again’. It joyfully reflects on eternal life: “I’ll
live again over on that golden strand/I’ll sing and shout with a mighty angel
band/You’ll see me rise beyond the starry skies/I’ll live again over on the
other side/I’ve a mansion over there built in beauty rare”.
Karen Suzanne Rochelle and Edward Monroe Hill wrote ‘He Goes
to Church’. It is a sentimental story
song about a widower: “He wakes up early in the morning, puts on his only blue
suit/He hasn’t quite mastered tying his tie on the way his sweet Sara used
to/It’s been years since he’s talked to the Good Lord/He’s not sure he even
knows how/He won’t be mowing the front yard today/He goes to church on Sundays
now/No, he don’t know the words to ‘The Old Rugged Cross’ but he sings them the
best that he can/Cause He knows that his angel is up there in heaven and he
sure wants to see her again”. ‘Northern Border
Bound’ begins slowly in an acappella manner and then goes full tilt bluegrass
style. It is about the end of a romantic
relationship: “You don’t need me anymore/No need to hang around/I’m leaving in
the morning/I’ll be northern border bound.../I hear the ringing on the rails
and the whistle of a train/Takes my heart a little south to your memory once
again”. ‘Just as the Sun went Down’
sounds like old-time barbershop quartet music.
It also utilizes finger snaps and recalls the events of Good Friday:
“Just as the evening sun was sinking in the golden west/Hanging between two
thieves, they crucified the Son of God/Mocked by the multitude, they placed on
Him a thorn made crown/Love like this was never known/Jesus dying for His
own/Just as the sun went down”.
‘Green Pastures’ is a ballad that speaks of the Lord’s
faithfulness: “Troubles and trials often betray us/Causing the weary body to
stray/But we shall walk beside the still waters/With the Good Shepherd leading
the way/Those who have strayed were sought by the Master/He who once gave His
life for the sheep/Out on the mountain still He is searching/Bringing them in
forever to keep”. ‘God Spoke His Name’
is a lovely bluegrass song recalling God’s boundless love for us, His children:
“Compassion moved Him like an ocean tide/He sent His Son so far to die/And when
they nailed Him to that rugged cross/Well, I know God spoke His Name/Salvation
washed us like a gentle rain/It healed our hearts and soothed the pain/And when
the sun rose on that glorious day/Well, I know God spoke His Name”. Paul Overstreet and Ronald Alan Schlitz wrote
‘Neath the light of Your Love’. It
places full confidence in God: “Yes, I will sleep neath the light of Your love
and it will guide my way till the sun comes up/If the moon and stars shall fall
from above/I will sleep neath the light of Your love”.
‘At the end of that Road’ is a nice love song: “Every time
I’m tired and my feet seem lost/When the wind roars and the way is dark/Well,
you are the moon to my tide, pulling me back until I’m at your
side/O-o-o-o/ Please rest assured, I
will return/O-o-o-o/I won’t be long/Please don’t lose heart/With each turn of
the wheel, I know I’m closer to home/And you’re at the end of that road”. The last song is mainly an instrumental
composed by Kyle Gerber. It is entitled
‘fernweh’. The origins of the word are
German. The definition is: “a longing
for travel; being homesick for a place you’ve never been”.
If you are into music that involves skillful picking and
plucking, rather than hard rock and roll, this album is for you. ECHOES is a wonderful bluegrass effort with a
clear and passionate Christian message.
That message is that Jesus Christ died for us and our sins and because
of that we can spend life eternal in Heaven, a land of great joy and hope! The vocals and harmonies presented here are
terrific and the production is great.
Rescue Junction should have a great future ahead of them! Hopefully they continue recording music for
many years to come. Fans of Alison
Krauss, Ricky Skaggs, Dailey & Vincent, and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
should buy this project which I’m rating 93%.
For more info visit: www.rescuejunctionband.com.