 Various Artists A gem of a collection of female gospel singers, in recordings from 1948 to – um, well, maybe the early 70s? I can't tell. I bought another compilation in the Peacock Gospel Classics series (Great Gospel Choirs – Through the Years), which all look like vintage gospel compilations, and it turned out to be, from what I could tell, mainly 80s and 90s recordings (see also my utter confusion with Walt Whitman's We Are One). That one was still enjoyable, and perhaps it is God's way of easing me into the entirety of gospel music rather than just the "good stuff." I am such a snob that way, always preferring an attractively packaged reissue over a new album by any given artist that may be just as good. Well, I get the point, God. Fortunately, God isn't always trying to teach me a lesson, so with Ladies of Gospel, He let me have a whole platter of the good stuff. Recording info is not given in the booklet, but I'd estimate the majority of these songs to have come from the late 60s and early 70s, a great period for all types of black music. This was an era when the lines between gospel, soul, and jazz were often hard to distinguish, and some of the cuts on this album could pass for old soul or blues hits if you're not paying close attention (Tessie Hill's "Great Things," which sounds sort of like an early Ashford & Simpson song, and Inez Andrews' verrrrry bluesy "The Healer"). Most of these, though, are just great roof-raisers from the likes of Albertina Walker ("Till You Come"), Mahalia Jackson ("In the Upper Room"), Dorothy Love Coates ("I Won't Let Go") and Shirley Caesar ("One of These Old Days"). All of the cuts on the disc were huge gospel hits, and it's not hard to see why. In some cases it's hard to see why they weren't also huge pop hits, simply because they're such incredible performances – Inez Andrews on "Lord Don't Move the Mountain," shouting in ways Michael Bolton only could if he were being viciously beaten, which I would not object to – Shirley Caesar tearing through "One of These Old Days" – these are songs that will give you a much more accurate view of classic gospel than you get if Amazing Grace by Aretha Franklin is the only gospel album you own. The mix of the traditional (Rosetta Thorpe's "Precious Memories," Clara Ward's "When We All Get to Heaven") and the more modern ("I Won't Let Go" by Dorothy Love Coates, the Inez Andrews tracks) shows a lot of variety in the genre, but it is a very contiguous listening experience because the focus is on strong vocalists delivering a highly charged spiritual message. Most of the cuts are real sanctified old-school shouters, and overall I don't even feel guilty about staying home from church to listen to this anymore. I probably should feel guilty about all the fires I've been setting around town, but I can always repent on my deathbed. Yes!
Review by B.S. Bullshit |