Go to the Top

Description

Go to the Top is the tenth studio album by the American rock combo DeGarmo & Key Band, released on Benson Records in 1991. The album was producer, recorded, and mixed by Ron W. Griffin at Quad Studios in Nashville and Three Alarm Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.

Although a few of DeGarmo & Key’s oldest fans and a music critic or two – names have been changed to protect the innocent – have been slow to let go of the past, this unflappable Memphis duo has been redefining itself in a regular basis over its 13 year recording history, in an attempt to deliver soulful pop that encourages churched youth, while speaking evangelically to those outside the church’s influence. Having accepted D&K’s right to be all that they can be, and admitting the commercial/influence value of making records for a more homogeneous pop audience, it’s clear that ‘Go to the Top’ is the most creative contemporary pop incarnation of the DeGarmo & Key sound yet.

With both Dana Key and Ed DeGarmo honing out a niche for themselves as solo artists, it’s a pleasant surprise to see them come back together to create the cohesive, well-intentioned pop of ‘Go to the Top’. Certainly, since it’s clear that their joint efforts are going to move toward mainstream tastes, it would seem appropriate that their solo endeavors would lean toward more aggressive individual styles (for instance, when is Dana Key going to gives us the blues guitar album many suspect he has in him?), but the Christian radio acceptability of DeGarmo’s two solo albums, the trio with Russ Taff and Mark Farner on «There’s Something About That Name», and Key’s well received ‘The Journey‘, shape a body of work that influences this dual effort more than previous group outings.

Pure and unadulterated pop, with enough Memphis seasonings to identify artistic geography, and lyrics that seek to deepen commitment and further biblical understanding mark ‘Go to the Top’. Key shares vocals with DeGarmo more equitably, a first in the group setting, and the result is a delightful and harmonious blend, exhibited by a brief a cappella moment in its full glory. Economy marks most of the keyboard and guitar heroics, which is where the band excels in concert, but here they solo with great emotion and precision.

Clearly the music stands up, but the focus is on a “wartime spirituality” in the triumvirate that makes up the core of the disc’s last half – «Stand, Fight, Win», «Victory» and «March On». This is not new territory; Petra and Sweet Comfort Band, among others, have worn it well. D&K succeed here because «Soul Mender» and «Still at Work», along with other occasional phrases address an honest humanity and give credence to the walk of faith as a more realistic journey into maturity, rather than merely advocating an emotional, “rally round the flag” mentality.

Here in mature, authentic pop, DeGarmo & Key do indeed go over the top. This is an album that rises to meet the needs of youth pastors, churched youth and Christian music fans looking for a new way to say that old truth, «I Believe». [Brian Q. Newcomb, CCM, June 1991]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/go-to-the-top/1395634818)

CD tracklist:

01. I Believe
02. Go To The Top / (At The Top Reprise)
03. Against The Night
04. Ultimate Ruler
05. Soul Mender
06. Family Reunion
07. Still At Work
08. Stand, Fight, Win
09. Victory / (March On Prelude)
10. March On
11. The Rest Of My Life

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Benson Records.