Reverend Charlie Jackson - Louisiana Gospel

Saturday 1st February 1992
Reverend Charlie Jackson - Louisiana Gospel

STYLE: Blues
RATING 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 30452-
LABEL: Dynamite
FORMAT: Cassette Album

Reviewed by Tony May

In the revered traditions of legendary "guitar evangelists", Charlie's life has known its poverty and hard knocks. Born in 1932 to a rural Mississippi sharecropping family, and sharing in his family's ministry to rural Black Baptist churches, our man soaked up those powerful Deep South music influences. He's allied it to his ferocious singing and hard driving electric guitar to produce 12 of the most devastating gospel songs you're ever likely to hear. Some tracks include a small ensemble, with some female voices which, good as they are, are hard put to stay with Charlie's overwhelming and dynamic performance. On slower tracks like "I Gave Up All I Had To Serve The Lord", his voice wavers from the straight and narrow, but when he crawls up that chugging electric guitar you could forgive him anything. Here's all the sizzling power of early Staple Singers' music, and the incessant inspiration emanating from such as The Five Blind Boys Of Alabama. Our esteemed American correspondent Rev. Al Mighty says "Imbibe, brethren, imbibe!" The stuff of legends.

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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