Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Of the three acts featured here, only the Golden Eagle Gospel Singers achieved any popularity during their era and with renowned female soloist Thelma Byrd the mixed ensemble cut 14 sides in Chicago in 1937 and 1939. The most interesting ones featured some effective harmonica from Hammie Nixon (the bluesman who was to find fame with Sleepy John Estes) while the group's accompaniments, featuring strummed guitar and handclapping, give the group a folksy sound unlike many other groups of the era. But if the Golden Eagles' sound had a rural flavour their choice of material, often being the first recordings of the emerging gospel blues of Thomas A Dorsey such as "The Old Ship Of Zion", "How About You", "Lead Me To The Rock" and "Staying On Jesus" (aka "Mind On Jesus") showed they knew the way gospel music was heading. The group also offer here a rendition of "He's My Rock (My Sword, My Shield)" by another of the seminal gospel composers, Kenneth Morris. The other acts here aren't as interesting musically. Uncle Joe Dobson offers four sermons delivered in a deep baritone over a choral group which somehow fail to connect while The Robinson Children, emanating from a New York recording session in 1942, have a shrill, jazz-tinged sound that despite running through gospel oldies like "I Hope I May Join The Band" never shake off their self-consciously cutesy sound.

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