There was a period in the 1980's that second tenor "Sweet" Joe Russell retired and so the group proceeded as a quartet. Though you would suspect the sound might be a little thin, the balance of voices to which we have become so accustomed seem to go right on without missing a beat. Jerry Lawson is inspired endlessly by the work of Sam Cooke who started a gospel career with the Soul Stirrers before his meteoric R&B career, and David Ruffin who was the great lead singer of the Temptations. Six of the tunes on Good News were originally popularized by those singers. In fact Sam Cooke not only was the original singer, but also the writer of "Cupid" and the co author, with William Cooke, of "I'll Come Running Back To You." Were we to pick the most memorable piece of music on this recording, however, it would be the "Swanee River Medley" which combines "Swanee River," "Ol' Man River" and "Raise 'Em Up."