History:

Bruce Rector was a guitarist and christian rock singer-songwriter from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Rector's upbringing and musical background is a mystery. He apparently grew up near New Orleans. Rector wrote songs with fellow musicians concerning christianity. He wrote a few with David Joiffron and the two would perform together as a folk duo. Rector soon set out to record a full length album on his own. 

In 1978, Rector recruited a group of local musicians and friends to Deep South Studio in New Orleans. The studio was previously used most famously by John Fred and La Roux. Rector wrote, produced, and created his only album there.

The album, titled "Beginnings..." employs a wall of sound production which is odd for a private pressing. Many songs featured four guitarists, multiple bass players, multiple keyboard players, and multiple backing singers. It was released on his own label, which he called "Land Of Milk And Honey".

The album features all songs written or co-written by Rector except for "John 3:16” written by Joiffron and "Song Of Immanuel" written by Larry Stockstill. The songs collected for the album were written between 1975 and 1978. The album is extremely contemporary for its time. Short instrumental interludes featuring Rector on solo guitar are present. The style is mainly folk rock, but baroque pop, southern rock, and psychedelic influences are prevalent. It is unclear what happened to Rector but I believe he may have moved to Georgia or Florida.

Review:

Beginnings... (1978, Land Of Milk And Honey)

Rating: 9/10

An absolute gem in the christian folk rock realm. Not a bad track on this album! You also get a ton of material here in differing styles. This is not only a testament to Rector’s songwriting and arranging capabilities but his incredible backing band as well. 

“Ancient Of Days” features some aggressive acoustic playing with a phasey electric lead cooking in the forefront. Good backing vocals too and a nice psychedelic vibe. “I Guess You Know” is a wonderful folk ballad with a bunch of multi-tracked acoustics picking a nice tune while Rector pours his heart out. “John 3-16” is a funky acoustic rocker based around congas and harmonic guitar parts. “Song Of Immanuel” is a lovely tune with some effects, synth, glockenspiel, and other arrangement touches. Love the chorus on that one.

“Sonrise” is a pleasant folk rock track with a flute section. Quite a peaceful and laidback tune. “J.J.J.R.” is my favorite on the album. Wall of sound production with pianos, acoustic guitars, drums, percussion, and a *heavy* synth solo. Killer tune! “My Lord” is very similar to “John 3-16” but is a bit peppier and has better vocals. The only not great track on here is “Communion”. Just a mediocre ballad. The segueing instrumentals are neat and mostly acoustic guitar based.