Sanctified Oldies:
Volume II: The Crusin' Oldies

(Released in 1997)

Tracks:

1. Tonight's the Night
2. Leavin' It Up To You (Given' It Up)
3. That Why I Love You So Much
4. Only You
5. Good Lovin' (God's Love)
6. We Belong Together
7. Shout
8. What's Your Name (Bless Your Name)
9. Come, Go With Me (Come and Walk With God)
10. In My Room
11. Believe What You Say
12. My Prayer

For other parodists I've reviewed on Webster, I've generally judged them by how well they parody or perform their songs (comparing them with the original. That criterion simply doesn't work when attempting to review Ron Perry's work. First of all, Ron doesn't really write parodies. As his CD titles suggest, he sanctifies oldies. He does this, not by rewriting the lyrics to a tune, but by simply adjusting the lyrics to an existing tune so that they praise God. J. Jackson comments on ApologetiX' video that ApologetiX rewrites the entire song, they don't simply change a few words (like "She Loves You" to "He Loves You"). Ron takes the road that ApologetiX avoids - he generally keeps, lyrically, as close to the original song as possible, changing just enough works to turn the song into a praise tune. Now from a "pure musician" point of view, some may claim that Ron's approach is somehow inferior to the approach other parodists take. I disagree. After all, if you're willing to head down that road, then we can criticize all the parodists for not writing their own music as well (of course, people do that too).

If you look at Ron Perry's ministry, you'll see that his lyrics are perfect for the job he's doing. Ron runs "sock hops" for youth and others; combining his brand of "oldies music" with the gospel. Sticking closely to the original songs is a very good way to invoke old memories in the minds of parents (okay, grandparents).

Perhaps the best example of Ron's focus appears on his CDs. Rather than listing a title like "A Child is Born (parody of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), Ron actually lists the original song titles and provides his own title parenthetically (e.g., "Lion Sleeps Tonight (A Child is Born).") Some may argue that this isn't giving the Lord the prominence He deserves; I find such arguments stupid. There is no questioning Ron's commitment to the Lord or the effectiveness of his ministry.

In any case, I can't review these tunes the same way I'd review ApologetiX, Nick Alexander's, or Mark Bradford's simply because the emphasis is so different. So please keep in mind, as you read these reviews, that they're not actually comparable to the other reviews of parody music on Webster.

One thing I will say about all the "Sanctified Oldies" CDs. The production is top-notch. The recording, mixing, and performances are almost perfect. There is no hint of "garage band-itis" on any of the tracks. Probably the best production of all the parody music I've reviewed.

Tonight's the Night

Well, this is one of those songs that just doesn't move me. I don't recall the original song, so that's probably part of my problem.

Leavin' It Up to You (Given' it Up)

This one has really great backing vocals. Very C&W style with a bit of old rock 'n roll and jazz thrown in. Good tune.

That's Why I Love You So

I don't know why, but I keep thinking of "Animal House" every time I listen to this tune. Still, it's a decent production once you get past the "lounge singer" style vocals.

Only You

Here's another pretty good cover tune by Ron Perry. Now this is a great sock-hop song. This is one I'd love to attend one of Ron's productions to see performed live. Ron demonstrates a wide dynamic range on his vocals with this tune.

Good Lovin' (God's Love)

It's a fun song, but the vocals could be stronger and it could be sped up a tiny bit. The vocals need to be raspier to pull this one off. The screaming doesn't work so well either. Gee, I can find a ton of things wrong with this song, but I'm still tapping my toes and nodding my head while it's playing. Guess it shows that if you've got the right material, very little else matters.

We Belong Together

This one screams "oldie." If you're into oldies, or you like to slow dance, you'll love this one.

Shout

This song also makes me think of "Animal House." (Wonder why?) This one does need to be a bit more energetic, though.

What's Your Name (Bless Your Name)

Well, this is one of those songs that just doesn't work for me, so I'll not comment any farther.

Come, Go With Me (Come and Walk With God)

Here's a true parody of one of those cute old tunes that you just can't help smiling along with. Shooby-doobie! Whereas "Only You" demonstrates how high Ron can go, this one show the other extreme. Maybe Ron sounds like a lounge singer doing oldies, but you have to give him credit, he sounds like a great lounge singer doing oldies. Whereas J. Jackson has this incredible ability to mimic a very wide range of singing styles, Ron demonstrates his technical abilities to sing even if his ability to sound like others is not that great.

In My Room

This is Ron's attempt to do a Beach Boys song. Now I've blasted Bradford and ApologetiX for their attempts; after all, sounding like the Beach Boys is tough. Ron Perry doesn't sound exactly like the Beach Boys, either, but he does an excellent job of the harmonies on this song (credit, of course, to his backing vocalists, as well). Best Beach Boy parody I've heard with respect to sounding like the original.

Believe What You Say

Here's another song I don't know and doesn't particularly affect me. I'll leave it at that.

My Prayer

Here's another song I don't know (or very dimly recall) and doesn't particularly affect me. I'll leave it at that.