Reviews

CD Review
Project: Unconditional Love
Written: 04/01/2011
Author: Liz McMillan
4 stars
Website: www.absolutelygospel.com
Producer: Gregg Gray
Label: Mansion Records

The Shireys of Columbia, SC have been making their mark in the southern gospel music industry with songs like Greatly to be PraisedUnconditional Love. Victoria and Rachel as well as Darlene have written several of the songs on their lastest release, Unconditional Love. This marks the first release in their relationship with Mansion Records.
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Stand out songs include their current single, Little David. This is hands down my favorite song on this project. Darlene Shirey delivers an honest performance and you know she believes every word she says. Silent Prayers reminds listeners “sometimes the greatest prayers are prayed without a sound.” Unconditional Love is the title cut written by Rachel Shirey. It puts me much in the mind of Out of His Great Love by the Martins. I Know the Lord is more of a red back hymnal type song and I like how Rachel and Darlene switch out at the end. Wayne does a solid job at delivering a nice lead on There Is Jesus.

The Shireys have an incredible amount of potential. I’d love for the girls have the opportunity to work with some of the writing giants like Joel Lindsey and Wayne Haun and further fine tune their writing ability. I’d also like to hear what it would sound like if they doubled a part in the middle as opposed to the top and bottom. It ends up putting a little too much emphasis on a part a good deal of the time as opposed to the melody. Unconditional Love is a solid performance from a group with a great history.

CD Review
Project: The Missing Piece

Written: 03/03/2009

Author: Kyle Boreing

3 1/2 stars
Website: www.sogospelnews.com

Producer: Calvin Gann

Label: Paradigm Music Group

The Shireys are a family group made up of husband and wife Wayne & Darlene Shirey and their two daughters, Victoria and Rachael. I've always felt that family groups have some of the best blends given their similar vocal qualities, and the Shireys are no exception.

The first thing that should be noted about "The Missing Piece" is that 9 of the 11 songs on this project are originals written by group members. That's not necessarily anything new in itself, but these compositions are all surprisingly strong. That's quite a testament, especially considering that most of them were written by daughter Victoria.

Such accomplishments include "Greatly To Be Praised," a bouncy uptempo number that takes me back to my pentecostal roots, and the touching "Knock On Heaven's Door For You," which is very well-written and performed. For fans of the straight-forward southern gospel sound, "Just Any Day Now" fits the bill nicely with tight, full harmonies. "I'm Telling You" is a nice ballad with a beautiful vocal performance, especially on the ending.

There is often a temptation for family groups to give members a spotlight that shouldn't really be permitted, but gladly, this is not the case with the Shireys. Each member is a more-than-able vocalist, and they stay within their ranges nicely, complimenting each other well. There's no doubt that the Shireys are a talented family, and "The Missing Piece" is a great representation of this.

CD Review
Project: Don't Look Back
Written: 04/15/2007
Author: Leah Lowrance
4 1/2 stars
Website: www.sogospelnews.com
Producer: Jason Singleton

This group knocked my socks off! The family harmony is just great. Unity, or the Shirey family is made up of Mom (Darlene), Dad (Wayne) and daughters Victoria (17) and Rachael (14). Darlene and Wayne have great voices, but the daughters will shock you with their talent at such a young age. It's obvious to me that this family has been singing together for a long time. "Don’t look back" is a great way to kick off the record, and is followed by an even stronger cut in my opinion, "That Wonderful Name." The girls with their country/bluegrass vocals sound like they've been influenced by the Isaac sisters, or perhaps the McRae girls. "Jerusalem" previously recorded by powerhouse group The Hoppers was no disappointment. I thought it was a gutsy move by Unity to record this song, but they really do a great job. The track helps them pull it off too. It sounds like the original to me, though it's just that Unity employed some of SG's best musicians for the record. The Crabb Family's "Don't You Wanna Go" leaves me with the same sentiment. They pull off the Hoppers tune perhaps a little better than the Crabbs, but both are very well sung.

The album, however is NOT plagued by covers, but is mostly made up of songs written by various members of the group. A peek at the credits shows you that seventeen year old Victoria seems to be the big writer of the group. "One of His Bride" is written and sung by Wayne Shirey, followed by "I Sing Praises" written and sung by Darlene. Both are good offerings. I really enjoy Darlene's rich alto tone. "Take my Hand" written by Victoria, and I believe sung by younger sister Rachael, is not at all lyrically what you expect to hear from such a young person. I happen to have had the privilege of knowing Annie McRae when she was 17 and Victoria reminds me a lot of her at that age. She is definitely someone to watch. Picking things up again, "Jesus Is Always There for Me" features Darlene and gives a different sound from when one of the girls is leading, never the less, still tight and enjoyable.

"Child of God" is a moving ballad. The vocal work on this is really nice. The album ends with a bang. "My Heavenly Home" features and was written by Victoria. Not only lyrically and melodically is she a mature song writer, but she is not stuck in a stylistic rut. She offers several different styles on this project, and is largely responsible for Unity's sound. The only reason Unity didn't receive a 5 star rating from me, was because I believe they are not the best they can be yet. The potential for even greater things is evident. I heard a few pitches and cut-offs that weren't together, and few other small things. I wanted to give them at least half a star more to reach for next time. I think this is an excellent group. I'll be looking for a chance to hear them live myself.