Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Followers of the roots of rock 'n' roll and soul music will tell you that Anthony Gourdine, better known as Little Anthony, was a key figure in the development of the music, taking his group The Imperials from doo-wop success in the '50s to soul pop hits in the '60s. Eventually in the autumn of his career he become a Christian and this album marked an attempt to establish Anthony in the quickly developing CCM scene. Helmed by the soon to be legendary Christian producer Brown Banister and Milton Blackford, Anthony still had the musical chops but the material recorded here is slanted more to the pop end of the pop/soul spectrum. There are some moments when this goes in a funky direction like on "My Best Friend" and "Walk On Water" which have a satisfying groove and "Love Was Born For Me" but somehow the album fails to ignite properly. There's a cover of "I'll Be Thinking Of You" which at the time was a brand new song from Andrae Crouch which isn't a patch on the original. The album closes with a rollicking version of Per-Erik Hallin's "Gospel Train" which rounds things off nicely. In 1995 this album was re-issued under the title 'Little Anthony Sings The Gospel'.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.