Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

The esteemed TC (bless him) must've been listening to UCB on Tuesday evenings (plug, plug) because this album is exactly the sort of stuff that gets played from 9:00 to 9:30 each week. Traditional gospel enthusiasts will immediately recognise the quality of fare on offer on this sampler and Word haven't been stingy with the running time, over 65 minutes, with the highlight length-wise being a stomping 12 minute track by Daryl Coley and the Wilmington/Chester Mass Choir. Also standing up to be counted are the Thompson Community Singers, O'Landa Draper And The Associates, Tyrone Block And The Christ Tabernacle Combined, John P Kee and the New Life Community Choir, The Greater Victory Temple Choir, James Cleveland And The Angelic Choir, The Mount Calvary Concert Choir with Bishop Norman Wagner and (with a distinctly smoother quality in amongst the church wreckers) the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. The album is subtitled "A Collection Of America's Greatest Gospel Choirs 2, and with a line up like that I can't disagree. No doubt about it, this is right out of the top drawer, so if you're looking for an intro to some of the hottest, meanest, hallelujah-everybody, hootin' and hollerin' brothers and sisters this side of St Peter and the Pearly Gates, this is definitely one to get hold of. An excellent taster particularly if you've never explored the rich heritage of American traditional gospel. Highlight in an album of excellence, Darius Brooks' sublime solo with the Thompsons on "If I Be Lifted" - absolute bliss.

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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