The Cathedrals - Distinctively

Thanks to Gary Byrd, a "lost" Cathedrals' album is now finally available to many fans who have never had the opportunity to hear it (without scouring eBay, anyway). Distinctively was a table project released on the Cats' own Eternal label, and is the first project to include Danny Funderburk on tenor. It seems that not very many copies of this project were produced; even when older table projects were still available on cassette on the Cathedrals' website, this one was never listed. It also comes just before the release of Danny's signature song, "Somebody Touched Me" and the group's subsequent rise on RiverSong/Benson, so it doesn't surprise me that the table projects ended with this release.

As a whole, the overall sound pretty much matches another Cats "B-project," Greater, and was recorded within two years of that release (my guess is at the same studio in my hometown of Cincinnati). The instrumentation is minimal, consisting of a five piece band (with a fiddle or mandolin on a couple songs for added flavor). There are no horns or strings, which means that the ballads have a more stripped-down feel, but the nice part of this setup is that, when translated to the stage, it is a little easier to arrange, since you don't have to use a piano to make up for the lack of an orchestra!

Another indication that this is not a mainstream label release is the song selection. Quite a few covers here, including a new rendition of one of George Younce's signature songs, "Thanks To Calvary." Most main-line albums will include as much new material as possible, and since table projects are usually on a smaller budget, it is usually cheaper (and easier) to secure rights to previously-recorded songs.

The album itself is interesting to listen to from an historical standpoint. As stated above, this was Funderburk's first project with the group, yet for some reason, he sounds a little more confident on this project than he does on The Prestigious Cathedral Quartet, which was released by RiverSong Records the following year. He seems to shoot for a lot more high notes and shows off a little more here than he does on, for example, "Somebody Touched Me." He also has a slightly-different vocal quality that I haven't heard on any other projects. It doesn't sound strained, but it does sound a bit forced, although after singing with the likes of Ivan Parker and Mike English, I can see why he'd have to be able to hold his own!! I can somewhat see what George and Glen meant when they said, "It took Danny a little while to find his place in our arrangements." His voice is quite heavy on the vibrato, which would soften over the years.

The song selection, as mentioned before, is made up of a lot of covers, but the Cats give each song their own stamp. "He's A Personal Savior" is slowed down somewhat and gets a half-time feel that I've never heard on another arrangement. "Who Am I," a wonderfully-sung Funderburk solo, drops a chorus and puts the two verses together; the track has a definite early-80's ballad feel, as well. "Thanks To Calvary" actually sounds a little more upbeat than normal here; the tempo is sped up just a bit and it just feels a little more "happier."

My favorite tracks on this collection are "Who Am I," "Cheer The Weary Traveler," and "Whiter Than Snow." Danny's performance on "Who Am I," while somewhat raw, is full of emotion and feeling, which makes up for the slight imperfections (studio engineers and record executives need to re-read that line OVER AND OVER!!!!). In his only real feature on the project, Mark Trammell seems to have a lot of fun with his verses on "Cheer The Weary Traveler." The whole song has that old spiritual feel to it, and the entire track is done with a bouncy acoustic guitar. To show the vocal abilities of the group, the entire song is done with no more than a rimshot on drums, yet it builds with excitement by sheer singing.

"White Than Snow," in my opinion, is the best cut on the entire project. George's booming bass voice seems to be at it's peak here; not only does he hit the lower notes with ease, he also shows off his upper register just as smooth, and the entire performance is full of "soul." I don't think any other bass singer could've pulled off the performance George does here. Danny gets a chance to sore into the rafters with his rubato second verse, and really shines, showing even early on that he was unique among the thin, feminine-sounding tenors of the day. Danny would actually record this song again on a solo project (produced by pianist Roger Bennett) a couple years later (he even used it as the title for the album).

"When Jesus Comes In The Clouds" is one of those songs that grows on you. It's a mid-tempo, countrified arrangement of a standard quartet sound. The track is subtle and minimal, again letting the singing carry the song. Glen Payne leads the verses, with Mark getting a solo chorus and Danny ends with a couple modulations-worth of high notes. At first listen, I didn't care for the song, but the more I listen to it, the more I like it.

There are a few "filler" tracks on this project, but that is to be expected on such a release. "I'm Happy In The Lord Anyway" and "If It Keeps Getting Better and Better" are your generic 4-part vanilla songs. Nothing really spectacular, just straight-forward singing and playing. "John The Revelator" is along the same lines, althought noticably more peppy. "Even So, Lord Jesus Come" seems to be the required old-time ballad, although to his credit, Danny softens up on the end of the song in a similar fashion to "Whosoever Will" from the Travelin' Live album.

Is it the best Cathedrals album? No. Is it the best among the best of the table projects? No. It IS, however, an important offering in the history of the group, as it is the beginning of what would be one of the most popular lineups of the group, and in the context of timing and circumstance, it's a decent project worthy of a listen.

P.S. This album is available (at least for the time being) at Gary Byrd's website (click on the Downloads link). It sounds like the audio came from a cassette release, as there is some analog hiss in the background and no noticable vinyl pops. It also sounds like he went out of his way to make sure the sound quality was the best it could be. Even if you have the record, you might wanna visit the site and download the zip file that includes mp3's for all of these songs, as they sound pretty decent!

Gary also has the full video for the Cats' Can He, Could He, Would He video (at 1GB, however, it does take quite a while if you try to download it, even on high-speed connections).