Keith "Wonderboy" Johnson Releases New CD "Just Being Me"

With hands holding tight to the Good Book, and ears locked solidly into the sounds of both contemporary and traditional music, Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson is giving a new, fresh face to modern Gospel Quartet music.

With his latest release, Just Being Me, Keith has taken an overview of the last several decades of Gospel music, and what he’s come up with is a remarkable mix of straight-ahead, foot-stomping Sunday morning church, soulful ballads, and a contemporary spin on the timeless sound of Gospel Quartet music. In fact, with a perfect mix of yesterday, today and tomorrow all working together, Just Being Me carries “Gospel Quartet” to altogether new and fresh terrain.

“You can always count on it,” says Keith. “If you go to a venue with a mix of all types of Gospel—rap, R&B, traditional—with all the top artists from all the top genres… if the crowd hasn’t moved yet, trust me. You give them the right Quartet group, and that classic, driving sound, and that crowd is going to wake up…quick!

“People hear the term ‘Quartet’ and think it’s going to be old-fashioned and tired,” Keith continues. “They don’t realize that it’s the most rocking Gospel that’s out there. It was Gospel Quartet music that played a major role in the birth of R&B, soul and rock’n’roll. They all borrowed from us. We’ve cranked it up considerably since the old days, but the heart of our sound has been consistent for years. This is where it all started.

“I could buy myself a nice car if I had a dollar for every person who has come up to me after a show and said, `You know what? I never gave Quartet a chance, but listening to your music, I really like this. The way you incorporate other musical styles is something different, and I can really get into it.’ It is something different. I call it `New Wave Quartet.’”

On an album filled with strong, solid songs, several shine especially brightly. “God Is Able” is traditional, hand-clapping, can’t-sit-still Gospel at its most irresistible, while “He Made A Way” resonates with a profound ring of truth and firsthand experience, as a Gospel choir accompanies Keith with stirring ensemble vocals.

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