Larry Stewart Dishes On ‘Voices: Vintage Hymns with Heart & Soul’ Album

"We’re really proud of the way it turned out," says Stewart.

Written by Chuck Dauphin
Larry Stewart Dishes On ‘Voices: Vintage Hymns with Heart & Soul’ Album
Photo courtesy Absolute Publicity, Inc.

Though Country fans are familiar with him as lead singer of Restless Heart, the classic group behind such hits as “I’ll Still Be Loving You” and “Wheels,” there was another genre of music that Larry Stewart grew up with.

“I grew up in Gospel music,” the singer tells Sounds Like Nashville, though he never has gotten to record any with the band. They had cut some Christmas music together, but he had never been able to express his love of Gospel music – until now.

Stewart is included on a new project that he is very excited about – Voices: Vintage Hymns with Heart & Soul, contributing the album’s closing track, “Sweet Hour of Prayer.” He also had a hand in producing several tracks on the disc, which includes Oak Ridge Boys members William Lee Golden and Joe Bonsall, as well as Christian superstars Michael English and Phil Keaggy. When asked how his involvement in the project came to be, he said “It was kind of a roundabout way. The main producer, Michael Sykes approached me about it. He’s a Gospel producer who has worked on many Grammy winning projects. He came to me and asked me if I wanted to be a part of an all-Hymns project. I told him I would love to. That’s something I had never done before. One thing ended up leading to another, and I met Denise Strother, who is the Executive Producer of the project.”

Vocally, Stewart is proud of the cut that he contributed to the album. “It was a really cool experience for me to be a part of it, and I think we came up with something that people will really like. It’s a really cool piano vocal.”

Photo courtesy Absolute Publicity, Inc.

Photo courtesy Absolute Publicity, Inc.

The track is very special to Stewart, as it marks the last time he got to work with one of his closest friend. “I recorded it with a guy by the name of Gary Smith, who was a really great piano player. Just a few months after we recorded it, he passed away. But, the experience of being in a studio – just him and I, there was magic in the room. I never got to see him again,” he lamented.

Stewart also co-produced “It Is Well With My Soul,” a track that features Larry Gatlin and The Gatlin Brothers. Working with one of Nashville’s biggest legends was something that he won’t forget anytime soon. “That was awesome – a totally unforgettable experience. Larry was bouncing off of the walls as he always does. A lot of the track was really his vision. He’d get into the studio, and play that gut string. That’s how we came up with the whole arrangement. Then, we added strings, and the brothers came in and added their vocals. It’s a pretty off-the-wall kind of arrangement for a traditional hymns project. But, that was the vision Larry wanted. So, we rolled with it, and kept it between the ditches. It was a lot of fun working with them.”

Stewart – who is also working with the producers through Breezewood Productions, says that he plans are for the album to be part of an ongoing series. “We want to try to create a series of voices of the singers and talent in this town. We’re going to try to be creative with a number of things, and build it, make it a brand. Artists love to be a part of something special and different. Hopefully, we can continue to do that.”

At the same time he undertakes a new undeavor, Stewart hasn’t given up his day job. He says that Restless Heart has a big 2016 planned, with a new CD in the works. “It takes us a while to get things going,” he admits. “We’ve cut about five songs, and are trying to figure out how to finish the project. It’s time for us to put out new music, so we’re rolling down the road. It’s about to be a busy season with summer touring, but we’re really ready to put something new out. The fans have been asking for it for a while.”

The first track from the new set is a cover of Glen Campbell’s 1968 hit “Wichita Lineman,” which Stewart says has gotten an incredible reaction from fans. “I don’t think we’ve ever gotten a better reaction from social media. We’ve got thousands of responses, and we’ve got a new video coming out on it. We’re really excited about it. We want to do something really special with it. The fact that it’s a Glen Campbell song makes us really want to honor him. We have never gotten this positive of a reaction. We didn’t know what to expect. It’s a recording that is pretty lush, after all. It’s one of those songs that people might say ‘Oh, great,’ because some people look at a song like that as one that shouldn’t be covered because it’s such a standard. But, we have been pleasantly surprised by the reaction, particularly on Facebook. We tried to keep it as close to the original as possible, and keeping the vibe and integrity of it. We’re really proud of the way it turned out.”