Pastor T L Barrett and album of field recordings name-checked by mainstream artists

THE GROWING interest in the mainstream for vintage gospel music was recently reflected in the January issue of Mojo magazine when in their annual The Best Things I've Heard All Year article, mainstream music artists are asked to name their favourite albums. Jim James of the folk band My Morning Jacket enthused about the CD re-issue of the 1971 album 'Like A Ship (Without A Sail)' by Pastor T L Barrett And The Youth For Christ Choir while rock star Lenny Kravitz picked out the various artists album 'Negro Religious Field Recordings' and a track by Austin Coleman, "My Soul Is A Witness". Said Kravitz, "It sounds like slaves in the field and on the one hand it's extremely primitive and raw - it's people beating on wood, the floor, the door, then singing their souls out - but at the same time it sounds futuristic and alien, a sound that transcends time." CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.