|
With feet firmly planted in faith and family, drawing from the stream started by the Lefevres and carried on by Rex Nelon, Beside Still Waters crystallizes a new vision for the Nelons’ three-decade gospel legacy.
For Kelly Nelon Clark, Beside Still Waters is a reflection of the new outlook that inspires the Nelons’ ministry today.
“When I started looking at my life, all the ups and downs that I’ve gone through over the past decade and how everything has come together, especially lately, it’s clear to me-- God is opening up a new chapter in our lives and our work.â€
That new chapter finds Kelly in a place she never fully expected to be: the spot once occupied by her legendary father, leading the Nelons alongside her husband Jason Clark, sharing the stage with a vocal powerhouse who also happens to be her daughter, Amber Nelon Thompson.
The past five years have seen the Nelons scaling back, focusing on what’s most important to them: their family and their church. Jason led worship, Kelly gave vocal lessons, and Amber finished high school.
All the while, God was renewing and reinvigorating them, laying the groundwork for a return to Christian music like never before. As Jason wrote new songs for the church, Kelly brought back old favorites to rearrange and revamp. Amber’s burgeoning vocal maturity was the final, mystical element that translated into a newfound musical chemistry Jason says no one saw coming.
“Amber was growing up vocally right before our eyes, and we didn’t really realize it until one day it was just overwhelming. We were like, ‘Man this kid, she’s really hanging in there.’ So all of the sudden, we really got the itch to tour again.â€
The Nelons’ new direction would lead from their longtime base in Atlanta to their new home in Jacksonville, Florida, and ultimately back to venues all across America.
Beside Still Waters is the album that re-defines the Nelons for a new era.
Produced and arranged by twelve-time Dove-Award-winner Wayne Haun and Jason Clark, Beside Still Waters also boasts the world-class orchestrations for which Wayne has become well-known.
Building on the Nelons’ five trophies for “Album of the Year†from the Gospel Music Association, their sophomore Vine Records release advances the legacy of classic albums like Thanks, embracing their traditional roots, while simultaneously reaching beyond any boundaries to create something new, with an emphasis on introducing songs for choirs and the church.
In all, Jason had a hand in writing five of the songs on Beside Still Waters, and three of those are already availablein choral print: the uptempo hit “He Found Me,†“The Love of God for Me†and the hopeful “There Is A Way.â€
“Settled At the Cross†is a classic contemporary Kelly Nelon moment, reminiscent of her solo albums in the eighties and nineties. She also contributed two instantly recognizable favorites that stand out among the collection’s twelve songs: a new arrangement of Andrae Crouch’s “My Tribute†and a classic tune from longtime Nelon composer Carroll McGruder. When Amber hits the high note on the reprise of “I’m Going Home With Jesus,†she leaves little doubt who the pre-imminent soprano of the next generation will be.
Kelly and Jason’s youngest daughter Autumn makes her recording debut on another of Jason’s compositions, a touching, optimistic ballad called “I Choose To Live.†Kelly admits Autumn’s first performance was not without some coercing.
“Autumn kinda hung in the background for a long time and I would listen to her in her room and she’d be singing up a storm. So I knew she could sing, but she was scared. She’s not like Amber and me who’ll go out and talk to a fence post.â€
“So the first time she got up and sang, my throat had huge lumps in it. I was so proud of her for her courage, and she did it not because she wanted to, but she did it for me. I’m just amazed that God has given me two girls who have such incredible talent.â€
For Kelly, Beside Still Waters represents a once-in-a-lifetime, full circle moment, one that dates back to her debut with her father in the iconic Lefevres when she was only 13.
“Back then, I’d have so many people who would come up to me and say ‘Oh you should see how your Daddy looks at you when you sing,’ and lately I’ve realized what they meant. This is what it feels like, and let me tell you, this is what it’s all about!â€
Today, the Nelons take all the elements you’ve come to expect from the group—unparalleled vocal excellence, a sound built on the interplay between a soaring soprano and Kelly’s emotional alto with an intertwining tenor, and add tight family harmony as they’ve never in the history of the group been able to do before.
Jason confesses the three of them are enjoying it every bit as much as it seems like they are.
“We have so much fun singing together. It’s a sound we’re really proud of, one that’s really a lot of fun for us, and I think the people can see that too. We love to do a lot of stuff around the piano-- old Nelons’ songs, hymns, just because of the harmony that’s there. We work on a lot of a capella stuff. Outside of what we record and release to radio, we have hundreds of arrangements we’ve worked on, and at any given time if someone requests a song, we usually have it in our repertoire and can sing it. It’s been really fun.â€
While some of their songs and arrangements may be decidedly modern-day, the second act of a Nelons concert takes a page from the very beginnings of gospel music itself. Jason, Kelly and Amber lay their tracks aside and sing “unplugged,†with only the three vocalists and the piano. For Kelly, that’s a real highlight.
“There’s no way I could even tell you how much the people love to hear the old songs and the old hymns. And for me, when I sing ‘The Sun’s Coming Up,’there’s a part of me that goes back to when I was 16 or 17 and I can see my father standing right next to me. When we get to the line ‘and like an eagle I’ll take to the sky,’ he would ball his fist up and raise it toward the heavens and I can see that just as plain as day. It just takes me back, and I love it.â€
On select dates, the Nelons accomplish a feat even more rare for a gospel group these days: they travel with a full band. When Kelly’s brother Todd and drummer Aubrey Stephens join full-time pianist Kevin Davis, the classic Nelons line-up is nearly complete. As for the Nelons’ member most notably missing, Jason has no doubt he’d be pleased.
“I think if Rex was retired and still living, he’d be coming out of retirement to head back on the road and sing with us. I think he’d love it that much.â€
During the rare times when the Nelons are not on the road, they serve as Artists in Residence at Jacksonville’s Trinity Baptist Church. As they travel, they’reAmbassadors for Trinity Baptist College, where Amber is a sophomore.
Today, the Nelons are a family more than ever, one proud to carry on a more than 30-year tradition and legacy. While moving forward, Jason believes it’s important not to forget the past at the same time.
“Professionally, we’re trying to make sure that as we carry on, we’re doing it with the same expertise and quality and taste that Rex had when he started the group back in 1977. On the personal side for me, it doesn’t get any better than getting to make music as your life’s work. But to get to do it with your entire family— now that’s really a blessing beyond what we even deserve!â€
Kelly echoes Jason’s sense of contentment and purpose.
“We’ve definitely had some turbulent times over the past decade, but it seems like right now God is leading to us some peaceful times, some joy, some relaxation, a new season of life, just like the psalmist says-- Beside Still Waters.†|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
