(Photo : Wilburn and Wilburn)

Song titles like "Funeral Plans" and "If These Walls Could Talk" are enough to give reasons for pause.  When was the last time have you encountered a titular as intriguing as "Funeral Plans"?  Just looking at the song list at the back of this CD is enough to pique our interest in wanting to give this disc a spin.  And safe to say such curiosity will certainly be pleasantly rewarded. The strength of Wilbur and Wilburn's "Here Comes Sunday," their sophomore effort for Daywind Records, lies in their ability to weld unpredictability and quality together in a much delightful musical knot.  Nowadays, there are some songs with such predictable titles that you can discern the song's direction and message without even hearing it.  But you won't find them here on "Here Comes Sunday."  Wilburn and Wilburn consist of dad Jonathan Wilburn and his son Jordan (a rarity in the quartet-loaded Southern Gospel genre).   Jonathan Wilburn started off in the family group the Wilburns before taking up the position as the lead vocalist of Gold City.  After a twelve year tenure with Gold City, Jonathan Wilburn has finally teamed up with his son Jordan to form Wilburn and Wilburn.  Their debut record for Daywind "Family Ties" was a heads turner that had garnered all kinds of critical acclaim and successes resulting in fan favorites such as "A Cross Became My Saving Grace" and "Jesus Will."

The unique contributions of producer Ben Isaacs, Jonathan Wilburn and Jordan Wilburn have been threaded together to form this rich textured tapestry of sound so unique to Wilburn and Wilburn.  As part of the bluegrass/Gospel group the Isaacs, producer Ben Isaacs brings with him a bluegrass acoustic flavor to the record.  Also, having been a producer of bluegrass records (such as New Road's "The Message" and J. D. Crowe's "Old Friends Get Together") awarded him the experience of how to take some rustic instruments like the banjo, fiddle and the mandolin and create an intricate sound.  Such a fleet is never easy for the inexperienced; but because of Isaacs' expertise there is a rich flavorful texture to "Here Comes Sunday."  Being a member of Gold City for a dozen of years allows Jonathan Wilburn to bring with him a traditional quartet Southern Gospel presence.  While the younger Wilburn adds a more youth progressive country edge to many of these songs expanding the palatability of the record to reach a younger and a more encompassing audience.

Wilburn and Wilburn burst all cultural norms with "Funeral Plans." While many in the world are reticent to talk about death, here this father-son duo goes beyond the sward to tackle the issue of living with the certainty of life after death in this funk cum Gospel declaration.  With a story-song like "Joseph" (the father of Jesus), it is easy for a lesser producer to ornate it with a Christmasy schlockness domesticating this song to sheer sentimentality.  But not Ben Issacs; here the focus is on bringing out the faith of Joseph in such a contagious way that we can't help but emulate.  Lead single "A Man like Me" is a newly crafted ballad coming from the pens of Dianne Wilkinson and Jimmy Yeary.  "A Man like Me" is a thanksgiving song to God for his graciousness in using the ones the world doesn't esteem.   And the hinge piece of this record is the title cut "Here Comes Sunday."  Ultimately, what sets Christians apart is not our talent or our ingenuity but the resurrection of Christ.  This is the type of song that truly changes lives.

Two covers deserve mention: first is Mark Bishop's "If These Walls Could Talk."  Talk about toe-tapping fiddle jumping fun, this track will get us dancing to its infectious groove.  As country as it gets, "If These Walls Could Speak" tells of all the lives that have been transformed within the walls of a country church.  "Every Scar," also recently found on Darin and Brooke Aldridge's album, is gorgeous heartfelt ballad recalling of how the stories of sacrifice found on each of the scars of the protagonist's body.  Wilburn and Wilburn's "Here Comes Sunday" isn't your average Southern Gospel record.  This collection of songs encompasses a wider range of styles than the records of their peers.  More importantly, the messages of these songs will certainly challenge us, stretch us and push us to greater holiness in Jesus Christ.