New From Ben & Rose: “City Of Gold”

Ben takes the lead on this bouncy rendition of another gospel classic – “City of Gold”. Like the last song we looked at, this one appeared on the duo’s album, and now gets a video. There was something a bit odd here though – this one was released at the same time as “Lily of the Valley”.

I wondered why, as Ben and Rose typically release videos one at a time, with at least a two-week gap typical, yet these were put out more-or-less simultaneously.

The thought occurred to me – especially after getting more insight into their thinking in the recent article on the couple – could the double video-drop mean that they are wrapping up their online musical careers, clearing the deck before the year ends?

Well, it doesn’t sound like that’s the case, as this pinned comment from the channel on the video suggests:

This song is featured on the “Slowly but Surely” album released this past summer. If you don’t have a copy, you can order one at www.benandrosemusic.com. We’ve got brand new content coming in January, so be sure to subscribe to the channel! – Team Ben & Rose

So, I’ll speak for fans of their music in saying phew, that’s good news. More new content coming next month.

On to this song, which as mentioned has Ben on vocals with Rose backing. I’d say that Rose sings lead on a majority of their songs with Ben taking lead on a minority, or the two sharing vocals more or less evenly in some cases.

This hymn was written by Fanny Crosby back n 1875. Here are the lyrics to City of Gold as Ben and Rose sing it (there are variations out there as well as some additional verses).

City of Gold Lyrics

There’s a city that looks o’er the valley of death,
And its glories have never been told;
Where the Lamb is the light in the midst of the night
In that beautiful city of gold

Where the sun never sets
And the leaves never fade
And the righteous forever will shine like the stars
In that beautiful city of gold

There will be no more sorrow, pain, sickness or death
And the saints, they will never grow old
How I long for that city where there never comes a night
In that beautiful city of gold

Where the sun never sets,
and the leaves never fade;
And the righteous forever will shine like the stars
In that beautiful city of gold

I really like the way they weave Rose’s backing vocals in to this one. This one also has some really twangy guitar playing (again by Daniel Beachy) – along with some cheerful piano – adding a playful vibe to the tune, with its message of hope and praise.

I’d say it’s a Ben and Rose tune through-and-through, but at the same time has a bit different feel than the others. And that may be due to that guitar and piano, and to a lesser extent the chorus. Definitely not a bad thing though!

Enjoy a listen here (music and video production as always by Conrad Fisher):

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