Billy and Sarah Gaines

Item: Come On Back
Author: Jimmy Moore

Come On Back

(1996)

Reviewed by Jimmy Moore

Discogs YouTube

Label SoundHouse / Warner AllianceThe LighthouseFebruary 1997

gospel r&b soul

Have you ever wondered what the music of artists like Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, and Aretha Franklin would have sounded like if they had sang songs using Christian lyrics? There is a husband and wife duo that implements the style of these legendary artists with the lyrics of the good news of Jesus Christ-Billy and Sarah Gaines.

Billy and Sarah Gaines have had a good deal of success in Christian music in their career: three Dove Award nominations and five #1 songs over six albums! And they keep getting better with every new release-not bad for a pair of singers who have never had any formal musical training. In fact, Billy was once told by a pessimistic music teacher in the fourth grade that he had "no ear for music." You'll be glad to know that Billy ignored this teacher's "advice" and used his God-given gift of creativity to overcome this obstacle to the plan God had in store for his life.

Their sixth release, Come On Back, produced by Michael Omartian, may very well be their best release ever. Although they make beautiful harmony together, Billy and Sarah Gaines acquire the help of some of today's best Christian artists on this new project. Dove Award winning group Anointed joins them on "All Comes Down," "Come On Back," and "Forever." Chris Willis also joins them on background vocals on two songs. Finally, CeCe Winans contributes vocals on "Freedom." With this stellar lineup of voices, Billy and Sarah Gaines have a solid sound that will please their old fans and probably gain them new ones, too.

Billy writes most of the songs himself. Like many artists, the songs they sing come from the situations in their own lives. "Just Like Me" is a perfect example of this. Billy describes how he asks himself the question, "What would the world be like if everyone were just like me? Would there be giving, loving, serving, sharing? That's a hard question to ask yourself and to ask God to help you answer." Another song is "A Promise That I Will Keep." This is a song of devotion Billy wrote to Sarah to honor his commitment to her. It is a touching tribute to the eternal covenant God makes between husbands and wives. One song, in particular, stands above the rest in message-the opening cut, "All Comes Down." It is a song of salvation that gets to the root of the matter:

And it all comes down to a Man upon a cross Now it's your decision, who's gonna be the boss And it all comes down to an empty garden grave The stone that blocked your vision has now been rolled away

Later in the song, they describe what to do once you accept Jesus:

All that matters is to do this one thing, Love Him with your heart, soul and mind.

This album should appeal to fans of black gospel, contemporary pop, and R&B. The sound is reminiscent of BeBe and CeCe Winans, but with enough personal distinction to make this album their own. Billy and Sarah Gaines have often had to deal with the obstacle of lack of name recognition. This new release should help lessen that problem significantly.