Standing in the Safety Zone, by the Fairfield Four. (all of their albums are great, but this one in particular. Esp. track #2)
-Ed
-Ed
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Ony of my all time gospel favorites is "Spirituals & Gospel: Dedicated to Mahalia Jackson" by Mavis Staples and Lucky Peterson. Glorious Hammond B3 on every other track, vocals that send a child down your spine and, icing on the cake, excellent sonics. Another interesting recent choice is "Gotta Serve Somebody: Gospel Songs Bob Dylan", an album of often undeservedly underrated Dylan songs from his Christian period, performed by the likes of Shirley Caesar, Sounds of Blackness and Aaron Neville. Unfortunately, a lot of what is currently being marketed as gospel sounds much like formula soul except for the lyrics. I guess that's why I still listen to lots of Mahalia. |
There are so many. This was what I was listening to when i read you post. Very good. Gospel blues with a really nice back up group: David Lindley, Charlie Musselwhite, John Hammond, Danny Thompson Spirit of the Century by Blind Boys of Alabama http://www.rosebudus.com/blindboys/SpiritOfTheCentury.html I remain, |
As Clueless said, there is a vast selection. You might try one of the "Best of Gospel" boxed sets. This will let you hear all types of gospel, back into the 1930s to the present. My current favorite? The Mississippi Mass Choir (try their greatest hits for a good sampling). If you're not standing up at the end then you're not listening! The Mighty Clouds of Joy is/are excellent. Reverend James Cleveland sounds mighty righteous(!), with a very powerful voice, if you like the more "story" type gospel. More recent? Try Kirk Franklin or Donnie McClurkin. These guys have charisma, fantastic voices and front large choirs with excellent rhythm sections, and can rock the house. My brother's favorite is either Oleta or Yoland Adams (I don't remember which, but both are good). If you like Mahalia, you should at least give them her a try, although different! One of the better CDs I have heard (but can't seem to find a copy) is Andre Crouch with the Oslo Gospel Choir (believe it or not, those Norwegians can sing some fine gospel). Too many more, but out of time. Hope this helps!! |
The Richard Smallwood Singers - Live at Howard University. The Canton Spirituals - Live in Memphis. Aretha Franklin - when she used to sing with Rev James Cleveland. Walter Hawkins - Love Alive Gospel music has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years. There's even Gospel rap and hip hop Gospel now (I know... I know). The more you study Gospel music history the more you will clearly hear the connections between Gospel, Blues and Country music. They all "borrowed" things from each other. PBS did a documentary on Gospel music a few years ago. See if you can find it. Very enlightening. Mahalia is still probably my favorite. She had something very special. |
If you are interested in the history of gospel, check out dust-digital. Their product, "Goodbye, Babylon", is a phenomenal multi-CD collection that resulted from the co-operation of many acknowledged collectors and experts. |