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It is difficult to believe that Point of Grace's splendid harmonies have been favoring us for the past fifteen years but throughout their November 17th concert at Canada Christian College in Toronto they proved why they are still one of the top drawing groups in the music industry today.  Appearing in Toronto for the first time in more than a decade they opened the concert with "Day by Day," "Down," and "Saved By Grace" three songs that highlight the signature harmonies that have rewarded them with numerous Dove Awards, two Grammies, and twenty-four number one radio singles. Earlier this year the group whose origins are rooted in Arkansas received another accolade when they were inducted to the Arkansas Walk of Fame.

The personable Leigh Cappillino who joined the group in 2004 replacing the departed Terry Jones shone as the solo vocalist singing "Make It Real" while backed up by Heather, Shelley, and Denise. Her rich R&B textures pull at your heart strings. Cappillino has been married to the group's guitarist Danny Cappillino for the past thirteen years. 

As the first part of their set drew to a close the ladies glammed and hammed their way through two Christmas favorites "Winter Wonderland" and "Jingle Bells." The former once again highlighted the group's harmonies but the real treat for their fans was "Jingle Bells." You have not heard "Jingle Bells" sung this way before and you won't hear it sung this way again. In true Andrew Sister's fashion and with swinging big band flair this is a spectacular rendition of the classic tune. These two songs are included on this year's CD release _Winter Wonderland_ and it is no wonder sales are brisk.

The second set opened with the stirring "I Choose You" featuring Denise Jones' evocative vocals. Jones' vocals however came to the forefront in the medley to follow as she took the lead on "The Great Divide."

Point of Grace took us down memory lane with a medley of their earlier tunes. The ladies sat on stage and shared memories attached to their songs. The audience often joined them in singing the words to "Dying to Reach You," "Jesus Will Still Be There," and "Blue Skies." The medley came complete with Cappillino adding some comic relief as she started several songs only to be interrupted by various members of the group reminding her that those tunes were actually made popular by other artists. 

While all the ladies took turns speaking to the audience during interludes it was Shelley Breen's southern charm that the crowd really warmed up to. She poked fun at her fellow singers, members of the audience and herself but most of all let the people know how happy they were to be here in Toronto. She chided the audience that they had been in Toronto for ten hours and nobody had brought them any of Tim Horton's donuts­a few minutes later a young fan took a back to the stage and was rewarded with a complimentary CD. All the ladies of Point of Grace also endeared themselves to their fans by making themselves available for autographs as people approached them both prior to and following the show. They posed for impromptu photographs and didn't hesitate to chat with those who approached them. 

If you are living in another city and reading this, I would encourage you to visit the Point of Grace website at www.pointofgrace.net  to see if they are coming to a city near you.  I don't have any inside information so don't read this and start rumor mongering but if you sit back and take a look at the fact all these ladies now have families you have to wonder how many more years they are prepared to commit to rigorous travel schedules. You should take the opportunity to see them while you can because you will not hear harmonies this good anywhere else today.

You only had to look around the auditorium to realize the tremendous ministry Point of Grace has extended to young women over the years. A conservative estimate would be that seventy-five percent of the audience was made up of young women or girls. 

Point of Grace brought their concert to a close with the audience standing, clapping and dancing in their seats to "Gather At the River." The encore was "Who Am I," a song penned for the group by Christy Nockels of Watermark fame.

Every once in awhile an opening act will steal the show. Jackie Ungar a native of Aylmer Ontario Canada didn't steal the show at this concert but she did prove that she alone would easily have been worth the price of admission. The petite dynamo with curly brunette hair took the stage by storm with the opening song "You Are My Everything" Decked out in a black jacket, blue jeans and pink shoes she demonstrated powerful and rich vocals that belie her stature. More than that as she worked her way through a cover of Nichole Nordeman's "What If,"and her own "Heaven's Not Up" she proved to be the consummate entertainer. By the end of her first song the audience most of who were probably hearing her for the first time, were swaying to her music. 

I am a huge fan of Mark Schultz and normally would consider it sacrilege to suggest that anyone can come close to singing his song "Child of Mine" anywhere near as well as he does­but I am going to say it here. Dragging the microphone across the stage with her and pumping her fist into the air Ungar clearly has been one of Canada's best kept secrets. Remember you first read it hear, it won't be long before Jackie Ungar is headlining her own acts as she weaves her way across North American stages on both sides of the US-Canada border. 

London Ontario native Paul Rivard also provided an opening set. Those in the Canadian music industry long ago recognized Rivard's talented guitar picking but his overall ability as a performer has often been masked by his battle with nervousness on stage. A year ago one would not have been able to relax and enjoy his concerts without being distracted however his confidence has been bolstered by opening for acts such as Bryan Duncan and Petra. In fact, when Bob Hartman's plan was cancelled and he couldn't make a Canadian gig, Rivard stepped in with less than two hours notice and did an admirable job. 

On this night, Rivard's folk/rock ballads gave us an opportunity to enjoy his rich and multi textured vocals. His closing duet with friend Jackie Ungar showed off two of Canada's up and coming talents.

By Joe Montague, exclusive rights reserved

Joe Montague is an internationally published journalist / photographer. His ministry is dedicated to the memory of his late son Kent David Montague who went to heaven at the age of 18. All copyright and distribution rights remain the property of Joe Montague.