Rev W M Mosley - Rev W M Mosley Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order (1926-1931)

Published Monday 15th October 2007
Rev W M Mosley - Rev W M Mosley Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order (1926-1931)
Rev W M Mosley - Rev W M Mosley Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order (1926-1931)

STYLE: Gospel
RATING 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 21375-11980
LABEL: Document DOCD5480
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1
RRP: £9.99

Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Rev Mosley was an Atlanta minister whose recording career started in 1926 with a bang (over 30,000 copies were pressed of "Rev W M Mosley's Prayer" when fellow Atlanta preachers like Rev J M Gates were selling by the bushel) and ended in the depths of the Depression in 1931 (with so few copies of Rev Mosley's 78s being pressed that today one of them has seemingly vanished without trace). The good reverend has a stereotypical preaching style, punctuating almost every phrase with the pre-requisite "huh!", while, like Rev Gates, he often sang selections of the old hymns in a satisfyingly declamatory style. Sometimes Rev Mosley's congregation add their hearty vocals to the proceedings, like on "Ain't It A Shame". As the recording sessions continued there was less preaching and more singing and "Drinking Shine", "Yes! Tis Me" (which turns out to be a variant of "Amazing Grace") stand out while "Labor For The Lost" features an adventurous bass singer, who as the sleevenote says, sounds like he's strayed in from a quartet session. One of his most intriguing titles here is "You Preachers Stay Out Of Widows Houses" which bizarrely portrays the homicidal tendencies of widows as practitioners of decapitation and ends with a vision of deceased reverends approaching the Pearly Gates and being asked by St Peter, "Where's your head?" Preaching doesn't get any weirder.

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.

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