The Rance Allen Group - Live Recording Recap; January 30, 2004 in Detroit

Live Recording Recap
The Rance Allen Group; January 30, 2004 in Detroit
You don't truly know contemporary Gospel if you don't know The Rance Allen Group. Often, and rightly called 'the father of contemporary Gospel', lead singer Rance Allen has been a tour-de-force for near over thirty years.

The Rance Allen Group follows up their Tyscot debut All The Way with a live recording at Greater Grace Temple in Detroit on January 30, 2003, a star-studded affair that has the group recalling their numerous hits over their established history.

Gospelflava.com's Gerard Bonner was in the house, and took note of the historic event:

The Rance Allen Group, headed by the prolific Dr. Rance Allen, have wowed audiences for over thirty years with their innovative lyrics and one-of-a-kind vocal stylings.

Adjectives such as "innovative", "cutting edge" and even "controversial" have been used to describe this group that have often been dubbed as ahead of their time. So with 19 albums under their belt, what's next?

Kirk Franklin and Rance Allen

Next up is the live recording for this amazing trio. The industry gathered at Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, Michigan to share with Dr. Allen and his brothers Tom and Steve as they celebrated over thirty years together with this live recording, for Tyscot Records.

After an exciting period of praise and worship with Tyscot president and artist Bishop Leonard Scott, the sold-out house was prepared for a night of celebration. With Chris Byrd serving as music director and backed by a 3-piece horn section, The Rance Allen Group took the stage and rocked the house with several of their favorites from over the year.

The night began with the trio taking an intriguing stage setup for their hit "Miracle Worker". To add extra flava, Fred Hammond joined the group, and fit in perfectly. To see Hammond and Allen harmonize and vibe with each other is certainly a moment in time and a dream performance for fans of both artists.

Allen dazzled the group with his awesome vocal stylings and amazing stage presence. His ability to captivate a crowd is second to none and he had the thousands of fans in the palm of his hands as he went through a litany of classic material.

Interview with Rance Allen

"It's a known fact that nobody wants to follow him on stage", says Marvin Sapp, when asked to comment on the unique vocal and live presence of Rance Allen, one of Gospel's most respected innovators. "He has the most awesome stage presence; he simply demands the attention of the crowd."

Rance Allen has been out front since the ripe old age of 5, singing and preaching, and generally astounding everyone in earshot, from congregation regular to seasoned Gospel artist and everyone in between.

Be sure to check our 2002 interview with Rance Allen.

A standout cut is "That Will Be Good Enough For Me", originally performed in 1972. Allen renders the song as though it was the debut, and the audience responded in order as many were in tears because of the sheer power of the piece. Allen invited the audience to join him in dancing with "Joy In My Soul" and Detroit shared in the joyful dance.

During the intermission, Tyscot featured Bishop Leonard Scott as well as the debut of the new solo artist DeAndre Patterson, who blessed the audience with standout cuts including "I Believe" and "Grateful" from his new solo project.

Following the intermission, The Rance Allen Group returned to the stage in sharp brown suits ready to throw down some serious praise. The trio rocked the song "Can't Help Myself", Rance Allen Group song that also appeared on LaShun Pace's Shekinah Glory project and gained some help from the Pace diva herself. Add that rocking horn section and this song has become an instant classic, all over again.

Allen followed that with another of his classics, "Preacher Man", which really highlights his passion for the preached Word. A spirit-filled praise break went forth following the song, which saw Greater Grace go into a frenzy as they danced before the Lord.

Following this anointed time of sharing, Allen introduced Kirk Franklin as they revisited "Something About the Name Jesus" from Franklin's Nu Nation Project. Franklin breathed new life into this song and made it instant vintage yet again. This rendition will be sure to get big time spins in radio land.

Franklin ministered and spoke of the power of the name of Jesus and reminded all that everyone will eventually bow to the name of Jesus. Allen followed this with a funky rendition of "Go Tell It" and ended the evening with a medley which featured "Praise the Lord", "Do Your Will", and the hit "Make Me Wanna Dance".

This project is tentatively scheduled for a June release with the video and DVD following later in the year. In the meantime, sit back and relive this exciting evening as the Rance Allen Group goes all the way —Live!!

Check out more photos from The Rance Allen Group's live recording below.

The Rance Allen Group with Fred Hammond

The Rance Allen Group with Kirk Franklin