The Swanee Quintet - The Complete Nashboro Releases 1951-62

Published Friday 28th October 2016
The Swanee Quintet - The Complete Nashboro Releases 1951-62
The Swanee Quintet - The Complete Nashboro Releases 1951-62

STYLE: Gospel
RATING 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 162888-24290
LABEL: Acrobat Music
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 2

Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

This 53 track, two disc compilation features all the songs that the earliest incarnation of gospel vocal group the Swanee Quintet released for the Nashboro label during the period of 1951 to 1962 including both sides of all singles as well as tracks from the two long players they recorded. Whilst the group's sound is by no means unique with countless other acts of the time sounding similar to the Swanees, there is no doubting the skill and prolificacy with which they plied their trade. Presented in chronological order, it's possible to see the group gently and slowly evolve throughout the represented decade although for the most part the format of harmonies backed only by Pee Wee Crawford's guitar as found on big sellers such as "Sit Down Servant" and "Cry Sometimes" remains the same. As the informative liner notes state in a quote taken directly from a Tony Cummings article, the Swanees later added bass, piano, organ and drums in an attempt to keep up with the times but those new-fangled instruments were played unobtrusively enough so as not to distract from the vocalists and therefore the gospel message found within each song. Thanks to the similar sounding nature of the release and the grainy quality of many of the recordings, this is at times a bit of marathon if listened to in one sitting but it's nonetheless a hugely worthwhile and fascinating document of one of gospel music's most important acts.

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.

Be the first to comment on this article

We welcome your opinions but libellous and abusive comments are not allowed.












We are committed to protecting your privacy. By clicking 'Send comment' you consent to Cross Rhythms storing and processing your personal data. For more information about how we care for your data please see our privacy policy.

NAVIGATION
CONNECT WITH CROSS RHYTHMS
SIGNUP

Connect with Cross Rhythms by signing up to our email mailing list

A Step Change...
Cross Rhythms Media Training Centre
MORE ARTICLES
DISCOGRAPHY
ARTIST PROFILES
Artists & DJs A-Z
# A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
Or keyword search

 

PRAYER ROOMS
Courts of Praise
Get close to God, be extravagant in declaring your love for Him in our Prayer Room