Arden, North Carolina (November 1, 2024) — “2023 was a year of change for The Kingdom Heirs,” Dollywood’s resident Southern Gospel group observe at the start of the liner notes to No Better Time, their new album for Sonlite Records. What follows proves that they’re masters, not just of legendary singing, but of understatement. “In our 40-plus years of ministry, we had never seen anything quite like it. Within a six month span, we replaced three out of four of our front line vocals and added a guitar player/vocalist. This project is nothing short of a miracle from God along with help and encouragement from so many people!”
Indeed, though the turnover has been substantial since last year’s collection of genre classics, Something Good, Vol. 3, the release of three singles in advance of the full project reassured longtime and recent fans alike that the Kingdom Heirs sound and spirit were as strong as ever. From the classic, jaunty opening piano of the “The Lord’s Been Good to Me” to the more contemporary flavor of the closing “Yesterday, Today, Forever Faithful,” No Better Time offers up a rounded portrait of multi-dimensional artistry placed in the service of the Gospel.
Yet while a string section makes appearances on radio favorite “Until Prayer Changes Me” and the meditative “Already Free,” and horns enliven the title track, country flavors, soulful harmonies and traditional touches predominate on numbers such as the up-tempo “All The Way To The Gates,” recent single “I Want To Live Like Jesus,” the gently syncopated “We’ll Be Moving” and focus track “I Went Down.” And though there are somber moments in the empathetic “Life Hurts, God Heals” and “He Still Is,” with its aching tenor lead vocal, most of No Better Time’sthemes are perfectly summed up in the chorus of its title track:
No better time than the present
No better time than the now
No better time than the moment
To be touched by His power
And see once again He’s so faithful
He’s always changing lives
No better way, no better day, no better time
“This album is something every member of our group should be very proud of,” the liner notes affirm. “Each guy was involved in every aspect of the finished product. There also would not be a ‘finished product’ if not for all the songwriters who submitted material that took a considerable amount of time to process. There were so many great songs, and we feel that we chose the best of the best. Thank you, songwriters, for your talent and commitment to keep sharing words that change people’s lives!
“Last but certainly not least, THANK YOU to our family and friends, who not only support what we do, but more importantly, you BELIEVE in what we do! Without each one of you who are sitting in our audience on a daily basis or sitting at home praying for us daily, this ministry would be nothing more than a bunch of guys playing music! We love you and thank you…YOU make this possible!!”
No Better Time is streaming in Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL. Listen to it HERE.
About The Kingdom Heirs
From the Mountains of East Tennessee, Southern Gospel Music fills the air and is the home of The Kingdom Heirs, one of Southern Gospel Music’s top Male Quartets. The group started performing in local churches and concert halls and as their music and message spread to a wider audience, so did their popularity and demand. Later in 1982, they began singing at the Silver Dollar City theme park, which is now Dollywood. In 1986 when the theme park took on their new name, The Kingdom Heirs were asked to become the resident gospel group and now this year, both The Kingdom Heirs and Dollywood will be celebrating 38 years. Not only are they one of Dollywood’s favorites, but a favorite to millions everywhere.
The Kingdom Heirs have been nominated many times for industry awards such as The SGMA Awards, Dove Awards, and The Singing News Fan Awards. Winning Newcomer Group of the Year in 1989, the group has been a constant favorite. They won 2017 Band of the Year, which the band also won in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. They have also had many top ten songs, and currently have had 40 top 5 songs in a row and 11 number 1 songs including their number #1 song, “I’ll Know I’m Home,” “The Borrowed Tomb,” “Just Beyond The Sunset,” (Nominated for Song of the Year) “Just Preach Jesus,” (Nominated for Song of the Year) “Tell Me Why,” and “He Locked The Gates.” Two songs “The Chain Gang” and “Pieces” were nominated for a Dove award, off of their highly successful album, “A New Look” were nominated for a Dove Award in 2016. Their album “The Last Big Thing” debuted at #1 on the Billboard Charts. They have had over 29 songs nominated for Song of the Year. With a nine-month schedule performing to thousands of people a year at Dollywood, the group also tours for eight weeks, January through March. All of their tour scheduling is done in house. Recording for Crossroads Marketing on the Sonlite Records label, they are distributed nationally in retail, Christian Book Stores and Internet. Their latest recordings include, A New Look, Redeeming The Time, We Will Stand Our Ground, By Request, Songs From The Redbook, Glory To God In The Highest, The Heart of Christmas, Its Christmas, When You Look at Me, True To the Call and White Christmas CD.