Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Usually enigmatic and previously undiscovered gospel and blues artists are confined to the earlier part of last century but this unearthed release from the Big Legal Mess label (previously released on Fat Possum Records in 2008) focuses on what seems to be the only output from a Memphis-born singer dubbed the Flying Sweet Angel of Joy who recorded this collection of gospel and blues-tinged songs as relatively recently as 1968. Not much is known about the act other than his real name was Famous L Renfroe - the irony of a virtually unknown artist with that kind of first name is not lost - and, according to the internet and a singular quote from Renfroe, he performed all the backing vocals and instrumentation bar drums on this release himself. Whether that's true or not - some of the vocals sound suspiciously female - this is undeniably rough and ready stuff with much of the material on offer sounding somewhat unrehearsed and hastily recorded but this remains a fascinating insight into a valiant but failed attempt to forge a career based on the kind of guitar and vocal harmony sound already established by the likes of the Staple Singers and Swan Silvertones. The lack of instrumental and stylistic variety means that each track sounds more or less like the previous one with arguably the slow gospel of the title track and the Bo Diddley-tinged "Believe" standing out the most.

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