Men give God a special kind of praise. God’s Restored Gentlemen, a 4-member ensemble of gifted singers and musicians, have been giving God praise for over ten years now. Consisting of group members N’Gai Fennell, Elvin “EJ” Thomas, David Lawson and Shawn Wheeler, God’s Restored Gentlemen, known affectionately as GRG, are recognized for what they call “Gospel Soul”. Merging the classic nature of soul and the inspirational message of Gospel, God’s Restored Gentlemen are carving out a niche in the sacred genre. Blessed to open up for artists like John P. Kee, Hezekiah Walker and Bishop Michael V. Kelsey & The New Samaritan Mass Choir, the foursome just released their sophomore project called This Time It’s Personal. The new release is available on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby and all digital retailers.The title tune, This Time It’s Personal, isn’t just the title of the project, but it’s a testimonial of the entire group. EJ says, “We decided to include ‘This Time It’s Personal’ for so many reasons. The Winans’ Return album was a favorite of mine, but for all of us, the song spoke to our hearts. The song is like a prayer; it’s the believer saying to God that they’ve been focused on everyone else, praying for everyone else but now it’s about me. I am coming to you for me.”
“During the two years that we recorded this project, everyone had major life issues they were going through,” recounts EJ. “We had marital issues, problems with children, illnesses and four deaths in the space of 6 months. We realized during that season that we needed God even more,” he shares. “It was personal for all four of us”.
“This Time It’s Personal” is just one of the amazing cuts on the new release. Flaunting many musical influences, each track provides an unforgettable experience. Listeners can hit the dance floor of the Christian club on the track, “Praise Party” and go to church on the spirited “It’s All In Your Hands”. Traditional Gospel music lovers will enjoy the lively grooves of “Good To Me”. Soulful sounds permeate the entire project, a CD accented with beautiful harmonies, memorable songwriting and great production. But what really sets these young men apart from the bunch is their strong lyrical content. Every song points back to the Savior.
Based in the Washington, DC area, GRG was founded in 2004, initially as a sextet. Now consisting of four group members – N’Gai (lead vocals), David (lead vocals, keyboards), Shawn (vocal arranger, vocals), and EJ (keyboards, vocals and primary songwriter) – the gentlemen dropped their first CD, Why I Love You in 2011. Songs like “You Can Have My Life Lord”, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ” and “Don’t Break My Heart” were fan favorites. With the new CD, This Time It’s Personal, the group has updated their sound and look to showcase a more contemporary flair.
GRG purposely added uplifting and up-tempo tracks to the 12-track CD. They want listeners to have a good time when they hear the new music. “One of the main things we want people to know is that you can you can be happy and holy,” says EJ. “Just because you choose to be holy doesn’t mean your life has to be unhappy. God wants us to be happy. As a group, we like to have fun but we also love the Lord. There is a standard of holiness, but it’s good to have fun God’s way.”
